Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has urged National Health Fellows to use their skills to improve healthcare planning, data collection and service delivery across the state’s 34 local government areas.
Governor Radda gave the charge during the graduation of the program’s first cohort and the inauguration of its second cohort, with 34 fellows graduating and another 34 beginning the program.
He said the initiative aligned with his administration’s Building Your Future Agenda, particularly its focus on youth empowerment, human capital development and healthcare reforms.
The governor stressed that reliable health data was essential for identifying service gaps, allocating resources and improving health outcomes, especially at the grassroots. He also urged the fellows to uphold professionalism, integrity and merit in discharging their duties.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Musa Adamu Funtua, said the fellows had been deployed across the 34 local government areas to support data collection, healthcare monitoring and sector planning.
The Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency, Dr Mohammed Ibrahim Safana, commended the fellows for supporting the enrolment of 140,000 poor and vulnerable residents in the state’s contributory health insurance scheme.
Safana said the agency planned to collaborate with the second cohort on the next enrolment phase, expected to begin in November 2026, across the state’s 361 wards.
Governor Radda commended the Federal Government and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for introducing the program, while urging both cohorts to remain committed to improving healthcare access across Katsina State.
