By Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed
Katsina State has emerged as one of Nigeria’s strongest performers in health financing, with recent performance data from the National Health Sector Renewal Initiative placing it among a small group of states showing that improved budgetary commitment can translate into visible gains in healthcare delivery.
The state was listed alongside Yobe, Delta, Benue, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom as part of a new class of subnational leaders demonstrating that health financing is not merely about higher budgetary allocations, but about disciplined execution, timely releases and targeted investment in areas that directly affect citizens.
Under Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, Katsina has prioritised primary healthcare, rural access, hospital upgrades, health worker welfare and disease surveillance. Officials say more than 70 per cent of allocated health funds were disbursed to improve rural clinics and equip 150 primary healthcare centres in the past year.
“We have moved from promises to performance,” Governor Radda said at a recent stakeholders’ forum in Katsina. “Our focus on execution ensures that every naira counts in saving lives.”
At the centre of the reform is a renewed emphasis on primary healthcare, widely regarded as the foundation of any credible public health system. The Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency has been driving interventions to expand access, improve maternal and child health services, strengthen immunisation, and make community-level facilities more responsive.
Dr Shamsuddeen Yahaya, Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, said the state’s progress reflects a deliberate decision to move healthcare closer to the people.
“The real test of health financing is not the size of the budget on paper, but whether a pregnant woman in a rural community can access antenatal care, whether a child receives immunisation on time, and whether a primary health centre has the personnel, drugs and equipment to respond,” Yahaya said. “That is the shift Katsina is making.”
He said the state’s strategy has focused on strengthening the first point of contact between citizens and the health system.
“Primary healthcare is where prevention begins, where early diagnosis happens and where trust in the public health system is built,” he added. “By investing in these centres, the government is investing in lives, productivity and long-term development.”
Alhaji Aliyu Kabir Maska, Board Chairman of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, said the administration’s approach has been anchored on execution, accountability and measurable outcomes.
“What distinguishes Katsina today is that health has become a governance priority, not a ceremonial budget item,” Maska said.
“Funds are being released, projects are being monitored, and communities are beginning to see the results in functional facilities and improved services.”
He said the agency was working to ensure that investments made under the current reforms are sustained beyond annual budget cycles.
Maternal and child health indicators have also shown progress. Immunisation coverage in Katsina is said to have risen by 25 per cent, while maternal mortality reportedly declined by 18 per cent following the expansion of antenatal services, improved referral systems, and the deployment of rural ambulance support.
The Katsina State Hospital Services Management Board has also been central to the push to improve secondary healthcare delivery, particularly through hospital upgrades, better personnel management and improved service coordination between general hospitals and primary healthcare centres.
