The Katsina State Executive Council members on Wednesday approved N761m for the construction of a new dialysis centre in the state.
The centre, to be located at the General Amadi Rimi Specialist Hospital, Katsina, is expected to be completed and equipped within a period of four months.
While briefing journalists on the outcome of the council meeting at the Press Centre of the General Muhammadu Buhari Government House, Katsina on Wednesday, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Bishir Saulawa, explained that the components of the centre include the dialysis machines, water treatment plant, generator house, generator set and solar power system.
He announced that the council also approved the upgrade of Faskari Comprehensive Health Centre to a status of general hospital at the cost of N599 million, 985 thousand, with a completion period of four months.
The components here include the expansion of all the units in the hospital comprising the wards, maternity, and children wards which will be upgraded to the status of a general hospital.
This, he said, is in line with the agenda of Governor Dikko Radda’s administration to improve the healthcare delivery system of the State to make sure all communicable and noncommunicable diseases are prevented and controlled.
“It’s also part of the short and medium-term plan the government has considering the need assessment that was done for the government and also the annual operation plan of the Ministry of Health,” Saulawa added.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning, Bello Kagara, highlighted that the council received memos from different ministries, departments, and agencies of all the activities they plan to execute in the year 2024.
He added that the council deliberated on the memos with some amendments on key socio-economic drivers with the aim of moving the state forward.
According to him, priority was given in all sectors to key drivers of socioeconomic activities in the state including programs specifically in the areas of agriculture, education, health, market development, youth and women empowerment, security architecture, political campaigns, and community development among others.
“Issues of erection of dams and upgrading of some in order to boost agricultural production and economic activities within the communities.
“In education, some of the key considerations were issues of teacher capacity and training including monitoring and evaluation to ensure that there is adequate participation of the teachers in the classrooms to enforce and strengthen quality education.
“So, all these were done with a view strengthening the socioeconomic aspects or development in the state and are geared towards making the government fulfill its political campaigns promises made by the governor,” Kagara noted.
