Katsina State has recorded a sharp rise in health insurance coverage, with enrolment climbing to 583,460 beneficiaries, as Governor Dikko Umaru Radda moves to make health insurance compulsory for participants in the state’s employment programmes.
The figure represents a 64 per cent increase in enrolment over three years, according to the governor, who announced the development during the commencement of enrolment for 184,105 beneficiaries under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) across the state’s 361 political wards.
Radda said the expansion was part of his administration’s drive to prevent healthcare costs from pushing poor and vulnerable residents into financial hardship.
“We are not merely launching another programme. We are taking another bold step towards ensuring that healthcare becomes a right and not a privilege for every citizen of Katsina State,” he said.
Katsina tightens the rules
The biggest policy shift announced by the governor is the decision to make health insurance enrolment a mandatory requirement for government employment programmes.
Radda said an Executive Memorandum would be issued immediately to enforce compliance across ministries, departments and agencies.
“Health insurance is now mandatory in Katsina State because we are determined to protect our people from avoidable financial hardship arising from medical expenses,” he said.
The move effectively puts health insurance at the centre of the state’s employment and social protection framework, potentially widening the scheme’s reach beyond existing beneficiaries.
98% of workers already covered
The governor disclosed that about 98 per cent of state and local government employees are already enrolled in the health insurance scheme.
Retirees, members of the Hisbah Corps and Katsina State Community Watch Corps, as well as persons with disabilities, are also receiving free health insurance coverage funded by the state government.
The latest enrolment drive under the BHCPF is expected to further extend coverage to vulnerable residents across the state’s 361 political wards.
Government lists healthcare investments
The administration also highlighted investments in healthcare infrastructure and personnel as part of its push towards universal health coverage.
According to Commissioner for Health Musa Adamu Funtua, the government has revitalised more than 200 Primary Healthcare Centres, recruited over 1,000 frontline healthcare workers, expanded the Drug Revolving Fund by 400 per cent, and increased funding for the Free Medicare Programme by 207 per cent.
The state has also established an Imaging and Cancer Treatment Centre and a Dialysis Centre, while several Comprehensive Health Centres have reportedly been upgraded into General Hospitals.
Agency wins national recognition
Radda said the Katsina State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KTSCHMA) had received the National Health Insurance Excellence Award in 2024 and 2025.
He added that the agency had hosted peer-review visits from seven states interested in studying Katsina’s healthcare financing model.
KTSCHMA Director-General Mohammed Safana described the latest enrolment exercise as a historic step in Katsina’s pursuit of Universal Health Coverage.
The state’s challenge now will be turning its rapidly expanding enrolment figures into consistently accessible, affordable and quality healthcare services for the hundreds of thousands of people covered by the scheme.
