Katsina Upgrades 146 PHCs With N13.4bn

The Katsina State government has expended N13.4 billion on upgrading of 146 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to boost the delivery of healthcare services in the state.
The state deputy governor, Malam Faruk Lawal-Jobe, made the disclosure at a monthly press briefing, on Tuesday in Katsina.
He said a minimum of four PHCs were upgraded in each of the 34 local government areas of the state.
The government, he said, also approved the renovation and upgrading of Comprehensive Health Centres in Rimi, Faskari, Dandume and Zango LGAs, at the cost of about N3.7 billion.
According to him, the government had renovated and upgraded the General Hospital Kafur, as well as upgraded structures at the General Hospital, Kankia at about N739.5 million.
Lawal-Jobe said N1.9 billion was expended by the the State Primary Healthcare Agency to carry out its functions for effective healthcare delivery service to the people of the state.
“These activities included, among others, the construction of a dry store, purchased and distributed laptop computers to LGA monitoring and evaluation officers.
“This was to bolster data management to enhance evidence-based decision making in healthcare delivery,” the deputy governor said.
Lawal-Jobe said the government also procured and distributed drugs for the containment of diphtheria outbreak, as part of non-polio supplementary Immunisation activities, where 2,216,573 eligible children were vaccinated.
The deputy governor added that the government distributed 360 motorcycles to ward focal persons for routine immunisation and other related exercises during the period under review.
“So far, a total of 438 personnel were engaged for the success of the exercise,” he said.
Furthermore, he said, the government had upgraded and converted the COVID-19 isolation centre to a Psychiatric Hospital at the total cost of N65.8 million.
Similarly, Lawal-Jobe revealed that the former psychiatric hospital building was upgraded and converted to the permanent site of the College of Nursing and Midwifery at the cost of N104. 4 million.
He said the government also sustained the free medicare policy for free delivery, antenatal, dialysis, cesarean session and some other services.
“In this regard, the sum of N397,000,000:00 was expended during the period under review.
“This exercise is meant to assist the teeming population of Katsina State, especially the less-privileged to have access to basic healthcare services with relative ease,” he said.