The Director General of the Katsina State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KTSCHMA), Dr. Mohammed T. Safana, has announced that total beneficiaries under KTSCHMA rose from 355,000 in 2023 to 583,460 as of November 2026.
Safana made this known at the 2026 Nigeria Health Sector Joint Annual Review in Abuja on Tuesday—a 3-Day review themed, Together to Higher Ground: Make Reform Data Count. He spoke during a high level panel on healthcare financing.
Safana who also chairs the Forum of Chief Executive Officers of State Social Health Insurance Agencies told the panel that Governor Dikko Umaru Radda restructured health funding between 2023 and 2026 and exceeded the 15 per cent Abuja Declaration benchmark. He said the state allocated over N43.88 billion to health in its 2025 budget.
The Director General said nutrition funding rose from N500 million to N1.2 billion, the Free Medicare Programme expanded by 207 per cent, and N750 million was injected into the Drug and Medical Supplies Agency to guarantee steady medicine supply.
He also explained that Katsina automated financial approvals so cash backed funds reach designated accounts within 24 hours. He said 50 per cent of capitation funds go directly to primary healthcare facilities and the drug supply agency to prevent stockouts.
“Under the visionary leadership of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, Katsina State has moved beyond paper allocations to 100 per cent cash backing and prompt counterpart funding, including a recent N243 million matching grant for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund,” Safana said.
He added that over 100,000 vulnerable residents now receive free healthcare at the point of service through the BHCPF equity gate and state subsidised schemes.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, led stakeholders at the review who commended Katsina for its subnational progress.
Safana, however, said the state still faces higher operational costs in security challenged frontline local government areas, pressure on drug procurement and difficulty expanding coverage in the informal sector. He said the proposed State Health Trust Fund would diversify revenue and protect long term sustainability.
While the Abuja deliberations continued, KTSCHMA field teams were on the ground in Charanchi Local Government Area registering vulnerable residents under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund 2.0 exercise.
The agency said pregnant women, children under five, persons with disabilities and elderly citizens turned out in large numbers. It urged eligible residents who had yet to enrol to present their National Identification Number and an active phone number at designated points.
Safana said the Charanchi exercise reflected the same reforms presented in Abuja. He said the beneficiaries in the state include pregnant women, children under five, retirees, persons with disabilities and members of the Community Watch Corps.
He said the gains followed the revitalisation of over 270 Primary Healthcare Centres across the 34 local government areas, the upgrade of six Comprehensive Health Centres into General Hospitals, and the establishment of an Advanced Dialysis and Cancer Imaging Centre.
