The Federal Government and the Katsina State Government have launched 15 Advanced Life Support ambulances and 238 tricycle ambulances to strengthen emergency healthcare delivery across the state.
The intervention, unveiled on Tuesday in Charanchi by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, is aimed at improving access to emergency medical services, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
The Federal Government also donated three additional ambulances to the state, bringing the total number of ambulances launched and donated to 18.
The development came alongside the commissioning of the General Hospital, Charanchi, which was upgraded by the state government at a cost of N2.059bn.
Speaking at the event, Pate said the State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System would strengthen the link between communities, local governments and health facilities by ensuring that residents could access emergency assistance and timely treatment.
He said the intervention was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which brings together the Federal Government, states, the Federal Capital Territory and development partners to strengthen the health system.
Pate said the emergency medical system should provide residents with a dependable means of obtaining emergency assistance, reaching appropriate health facilities and receiving timely treatment.
In his address, Radda described the launch of the emergency ambulance system as a major milestone in the state’s efforts to save lives and improve access to emergency healthcare.
He said the 15 Advanced Life Support ambulances would provide specialised emergency care and stabilisation of patients during transportation, while the 238 tricycle ambulances would improve emergency transportation for people living in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
Radda disclosed that the General Hospital, Charanchi, was the fourth of six secondary healthcare facilities being established by his administration.
He said the Funtua and Mai’adua General Hospitals were at advanced stages of completion and would be commissioned before the end of 2026.
According to him, the Charanchi hospital has been equipped to provide diagnostic, medical, surgical, maternity, emergency and other essential healthcare services to residents of the area and neighbouring communities.
The governor also said more than 280 comprehensive and primary healthcare centres had been renovated and revitalised across the state.
He added that the government had recruited 804 healthcare personnel across various cadres in the last three years, commenced postgraduate medical residency training in six departments and embarked on the solarisation of hospitals to ensure 24-hour electricity supply.
The Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, Dr Adamu Aminu Adamu, said the agency would strengthen emergency response through ambulance coordination, rapid response, patient transportation and improved referral linkages between communities and healthcare facilities.
Aminu reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reducing preventable deaths and improving health outcomes across the state.
He said the ambulance system would give pregnant women in labour access to emergency transportation and help ensure that no resident was denied timely medical care because of distance or delays.