Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has announced plans to establish the state’s first pharmaceutical manufacturing plant as part of efforts to expand healthcare services and improve access to medicines across the state.
The governor made the disclosure on Thursday during the inauguration of the first General Hospital in Zango Local Government Area, describing the proposed facility as a major step toward strengthening local drug production and reducing dependence on external supplies.
Radda said the planned pharmaceutical plant would support the availability of essential medicines and medical consumables while complementing the administration’s broader healthcare reforms.
According to him, the health sector remains one of the key priorities of his administration, with significant investments already made in infrastructure, workforce development, and specialised medical services.
Highlighting ongoing achievements, the governor said healthcare facilities in Kafur, Charanchi, Zango and Dandume local government areas had been upgraded to General Hospitals, while similar projects in Mai’adua and Faskari were approaching completion.
He added that reconstruction work was progressing at General Hospital, Daura, while renovation projects were underway at General Hospitals in Kankara and Mani.
Radda also revealed that operating theatres at General Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital, Turai Yar’Adua Maternal and Children’s Hospital, and General Hospital, Katsina, had been renovated to enhance the delivery of specialist healthcare services.
In another major healthcare milestone, the governor said the state had established a modern 16-bed dialysis centre, which he described as one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in North-West Nigeria. He further disclosed that construction of an ultra-modern ophthalmology division was ongoing.
The governor noted that more than 280 primary and comprehensive healthcare centres had been renovated across the state, while solar energy systems had been installed at General Hospitals in Katsina and Kankia to ensure uninterrupted power supply.
On healthcare manpower development, Radda said the administration had recruited 804 healthcare professionals within the last three years to strengthen service delivery across public health facilities.
He also announced that six specialist hospitals in the state had secured accreditation for postgraduate residency training programmes, while approval had been granted for the accreditation of Dental Therapy Units in five General Hospitals to facilitate internship training.
Speaking on medical education, the governor said 41 Katsina-sponsored medical students studying for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degrees in Egypt were currently in their third year.
“Another batch has been sent to Ethiopia, while a third batch will be sponsored to Russia,” he said.
Radda described the newly inaugurated General Hospital in Zango, which was upgraded from a Comprehensive Health Centre, as a landmark project that would bring quality secondary healthcare services closer to residents of the area.
“The newly inaugurated General Hospital in Zango, upgraded from a Comprehensive Health Centre, is the first in the local government and will bring quality secondary healthcare closer to residents,” he said.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Musa Adamu-Funtua, described the project as another significant achievement in the administration’s drive to transform healthcare delivery across Katsina State.
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