Katsina: Two PHCs burnt, 69 closed over insecurity

The Katsina government says bandits have razed two primary health centres (PHCs) in Batsari LGA of the state. 

Shamsudeen Yahaya, executive secretary of Katsina state primary healthcare development agency, spoke with journalists on Tuesday.

According to him, 69 out of the over 1,800 healthcare centres in the state were also temporarily closed as a result of insecurity in some local government areas.

“Most of the health facilities in the area were taken over by the miscreants, and the solar refrigerators provided in such facilities have been converted to use by the bandits,” he said.

“The affected primary healthcare facilities are located in different areas of Jibia, Safana, Batsari, Faskari, Sabuwa and other frontline LGAs of the state.”

Yahaya also said some of the health workers were kidnapped, but later released.

The agency’s chief said the situation has led to increasing request for redeployment by health workers in the affected areas.

Yahaya, however, said the government has concluded plans to renovate one health centre in each of the 361 wards across the state.

Yahaya also said the state government would recruit 272 health workers to tackle the problem of manpower shortage in the sector.