Katsina Upgrades 206 PHCs To Fight Malnutrition

Katsina State government said it has upgraded 206 Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) out of the 300 healthcare centres approved to enhance healthcare services across the state.

The State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftacy Affairs, Bishir Tanimu disclosed at the official launch of the Conflict Prevention and Crisis Response and Resilience (CPCRR) project in the state.
He said the wide-ranging plan aimed on combating malnutrition, pairing large-scale food production with stronger rural health services.

Tanimu said insecurity had disrupted farming and weakened essential services, creating a surge in malnutrition across the state.

He explained: “Malnutrition is a direct result of the security challenges we faced, which limited agricultural productivity and basic services, but with the measures now in place, this problem will soon be history.”
The Commissioner added that central to the initiative is a new Agricultural Mechanization Centre and the procurement of 400 tractors, with 10 tractors allocated to each local government area, noting that the equipment will be deployed during the rainy season and serviced afterward by trained engineers to keep farmers on the field year-round.

“This will enable our farmers to cultivate more land, produce more food, and reduce hunger across Katsina,” he said.

“To complement food production, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has approved the upgrade of 300 primary health centres, with 206 centres already completed and 68 more under construction.

“Each facility is outfitted with a tricycle ambulance to improve emergency response in hard-to-reach communities and enhance maternal and child nutrition services,” he said.

Tanimu also highlighted a significant rise in rural electrification funding, from ₦100 million in 2003 to ₦500 million this year, ensuring that health facilities and farming communities have reliable electricity to power equipment and storage.

Commending Governor Radda’s unwavering commitment to defeating malnutrition through a blend of food production, healthcare expansion, and stable electricity, pledging that all 34 local government councils will sustain the gains.