The Katsina government says bandits kidnapped an undisclosed number of workers and completely burnt down two primary health centres in the Batsari local government area. 

Shamsudeen Yahaya, the executive secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Development Agency, disclosed this on Tuesday.

According to him, 69 out of the over 1,800 healthcare centres in Katsina 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,” said Mr Yahaya.

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

Mr Yahaya also revealed that some health workers were kidnapped, but later released.

The agency’s boss said the situation had increased requests for redeployment by health workers in the affected areas.

He, however, said Governor Aminu Masari’s administration had concluded plans to renovate one health centre in each of the 361 wards across Katsina.

Mr Yahaya further expressed the commitment of the state government to complete the rehabilitation of dilapidated health centres in Katsina.

He stated that the government would recruit 272 health workers to tackle the problem of manpower shortage in the health sector. 

(NAN)