The Federal Government and the Katsina State Government have strengthened emergency healthcare delivery in the state with the launch of 15 Advanced Life Support Ambulances, 238 tricycle ambulances and the commissioning of the General Hospital, Charanchi.
The Federal Government also donated three additional ambulances to the state, bringing the total number of ambulances launched and donated to 18.
The interventions were unveiled on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, in Charanchi by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda.
The initiatives are aimed at improving access to emergency and secondary healthcare, particularly for residents of rural and hard-to-reach communities.
Speaking at the event, Pate said the State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, SEMSAS, would help bridge the gap between communities, local governments and healthcare facilities by providing residents with timely access to emergency assistance and treatment.
“SEMSAS should provide residents with a dependable means of obtaining emergency assistance, reaching appropriate healthcare facilities and receiving timely treatment,” the minister said.
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 the Federal Government, states, the Federal Capital Territory and development partners together to strengthen Nigeria’s health system.
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 ensure timely access to emergency healthcare.
He said the 15 Advanced Life Support Ambulances would provide specialised emergency care and patient stabilisation during transportation, while the 238 tricycle ambulances would improve access to emergency transportation for residents in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
The governor also disclosed that the General Hospital, Charanchi, was the fourth of six secondary healthcare facilities established by his administration.
He said the Funtua and Mai’adua General Hospitals were at advanced stages of completion and were expected to be commissioned before the end of 2026.
According to Radda, the Charanchi General Hospital was upgraded at a total cost of N2.059bn and equipped to provide diagnostic, medical, surgical, maternity, emergency and other essential services to residents of Charanchi and neighbouring communities.
“The commissioning of this hospital and the launch of the emergency ambulance system demonstrate our determination to save lives and ensure that residents have timely access to quality healthcare,” the governor said.
Radda added that more than 280 Comprehensive and Primary Healthcare Centres had been renovated and revitalised across the state.
He further disclosed that the state 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 provide 24-hour electricity.
The Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, Dr Adamu Aminu Adamu, said the agency would strengthen emergency response across the state through ambulance coordination, rapid response, patient transportation and improved referral linkages between communities and healthcare facilities.
Aminu reaffirmed the government’s commitment to saving lives, reducing preventable deaths and improving health indices across the state.
He said the commissioning of the ambulances would particularly provide pregnant women in labour with access to emergency transportation and help ensure that no resident of Katsina State was denied timely emergency medical care because of distance or delay.
“The goal is to ensure that no resident of Katsina State is denied timely emergency medical care because of distance or delay,” Aminu said.
