At the 2025 National Health Dialogue held in Abuja on Thursday, the Katsina State Commissioner for Health, Musa Funtua, outlined the state government’s renewed efforts to strengthen Primary Healthcare, improve service delivery and expand access across its 34 local government areas.
Mr Funtua said the current administration is prioritising the upgrades of Primary Health Centres (PHCs), workforce expansion and community-centred service delivery as part of its 2026 health financing commitments.
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The dialogue, hosted by PREMIUM TIMES and the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), convened commissioners, global health experts, civil society leaders and policymakers to discuss priorities for improving health outcomes.
Mr Funtua spoke during a session on state-level commitments and financing priorities for the 2026 fiscal year.
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Seven per cent health allocation
The commissioner disclosed that Katsina currently allocates seven per cent of its annual budget to the health sector.
He emphasised that the priority is to ensure that health spending directly benefits ordinary citizens, rather than being absorbed by administrative costs.
Reports show that Katsina’s health allocation has hovered between five and six per cent in recent years, below the 15 per cent Abuja Declaration target.
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The 2024/2025 budget documents reflect health spending at around 6 per cent, or roughly N43.9 billion.
However, the proposed 2026 budget earmarks N67.5 billion for the Ministry of Health, representing 7.52 per cent of the total budget, an upward shift that aligns with the administration’s PHC expansion focus.
According to Mr Funtua, approximately 70 per cent of the health budget is now channelled directly into projects, especially infrastructure upgrades and frontline services.
Over 200 PHCs completed
Like many North-west states, Katsina has long struggled with overstretched PHCs, insufficient frontline workers, poor infrastructure and low service availability in rural areas.
Mr Funtua said the state has completed more than 200 fully functional PHCs, all equipped and staffed, forming part of a comprehensive plan to expand essential services and reduce strain on secondary hospitals.
However, previous reports indicate that 146 PHCs were renovated in 2024, with a total expenditure of N13.4 billion over 18 months.
These upgrades include solar power, cold-chain improvements for immunisation, and basic diagnostic equipment,, which is critical for PHCs serving large rural populations.
During the commissioning of one of the PHCs, Governor Dikko Radda noted that the renovated facility now features a maternity unit, staff quarters, essential medical equipment, patient wards, and a fully secured perimeter fence.
“In addition to the new structure, the hospital received updated health facility,equipment including delivery beds, diagnostic tools, laboratory essentials, hospital furniture, essential drugs, and other lifesaving materials to strengthen maternal and child health services, emergency response, and general patient care.”
Addressing workforce gaps, the commissioner said the state government is implementing a comprehensive primary healthcare plan, including upgrading facilities and tackling human-resource shortages.
Reports show that, in addition to PHC infrastructure upgrades, the government has trained and deployed thousands of health workers across the state.
According to the State Primary Healthcare Agency, over 5,000 health workers have received training under the PHC renovation drive, while 150 midwives have been deployed across PHC facilities statewide.
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Mr Funtua added that the state is emphasising community engagement and delivering projects that meet the specific needs of different localities.
About the National Health Dialogue
The 2025 National Health Dialogue, supported by the Gates Foundation, was themed “Evidence, Innovation, and Financing for a Healthier Nigeria.”
The event featured a fireside chat with the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, alongside remarks from the heads of key national health institutions, including the Directors-General of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA).
Other states, including Kaduna, Jigawa, and Abia, also presented their priority areas and financing commitments for the 2026 fiscal year.
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