The Katsina State Government has commenced the deployment of 238 tricycle ambulances to primary healthcare centres across the state as part of efforts to improve access to medical services in rural communities.

The ambulances were unveiled on Tuesday in Katsina by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate.

The 238 units represent the first batch of 361 tricycle ambulances planned for the state, with the broader programme expected to provide one ambulance for each of the state’s 361 wards.

The state also commissioned 18 advanced life support ambulances following the Federal Government’s donation of three additional units. The latest additions increased the number from the 15 initially planned.

Pate disclosed that health insurance coverage in Katsina had grown from about 350,000 beneficiaries in 2023 to nearly 600,000 in 2026. He added that more than 184,000 people had recently been enrolled across the state’s 361 wards through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.

The minister said the Katsina Government had contributed ₦243 million as counterpart funding for healthcare interventions and commended the state’s efforts to expand access to medical services.

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda said the tricycle ambulances were intended to reduce delays in accessing healthcare and strengthen referral services, particularly for residents in remote communities.

He disclosed that more than 280 comprehensive primary healthcare centres had been renovated and revitalised, while work on about 80 others was expected to be completed. The upgraded facilities are expected to operate around the clock and have staff accommodation, water supply, solar power, basic medical equipment and tricycle ambulances.

At the secondary healthcare level, Radda commissioned the upgraded General Hospital in Charanchi. He said hospitals in Faskari and Mai’adua were also nearing completion and would be commissioned before the end of 2026.

The governor further disclosed that free health insurance had been provided to 20,000 inmates, 20,000 persons living with disabilities and 50,000 members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps and vigilante groups.

The Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Shema’u, said the tricycle ambulances would support referrals for pregnant women and other patients, especially those living in hard-to-reach areas.