Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
In a state where one of the world's highest maternal death rates has long turned pregnancy into a gamble with fate, Katsina has rolled out a fleet of 238 tricycle ambulances in a determined push to bridge the deadly gap between remote villages and life-saving medical care.
The ambulances were launched on Tuesday in Katsina by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, who described the deployment as a first batch of 361 tricycle ambulances planned for the state — one for each of its 361 political wards. The state simultaneously unveiled 18 Advanced Life Support ambulances after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu donated three additional units, raising the number from an initial 15. The launch was part of the Katsina State Government's broader effort to expand access to healthcare and strengthen emergency medical response, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities where conventional vehicles cannot easily operate.
Speaking at the ceremony in Charanchi Local Government Area, Pate praised Governor Dikko Umaru Radda's administration for its investments in healthcare infrastructure, emergency response and health insurance coverage. He disclosed that health insurance enrolment in Katsina had surged from approximately 350,000 beneficiaries in 2023 to nearly 600,000 in 2026, with more than 184,000 new beneficiaries enrolled across the state's 361 wards through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund. "Katsina State has demonstrated that when there is commitment to counterpart financing and healthcare reform, significant progress can be achieved in expanding access to healthcare," Pate said. He noted that the state government had provided 243 million naira in counterpart funding for healthcare interventions and urged other states to emulate the commitment. The minister also commended Katsina's response to the diphtheria outbreak and called on traditional, religious and community leaders to intensify advocacy for childhood vaccination.
For Katsina, the stakes could hardly be higher. The Federal Ministry of Health has identified 15 Local Government Areas in the state among the 172 worst-affected areas for maternal and child mortality nationwide. Katsina records over 1,000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, while neonatal deaths exceed 66 per 1,000 live births, placing it among the worst-performing states in the country. These figures are not abstractions. For millions of women across the state's vast rural expanse, the absence of reliable emergency transport has meant that complications during pregnancy or childbirth — many of which are treatable when patients reach a hospital in time — become death sentences. For years, the story has been depressingly predictable: a woman bleeds after delivery in a village hours from the nearest clinic, and no vehicle can reach her through the poor roads, or none exists at all. The tricycle ambulances are designed specifically to close that final, often fatal, gap.
Governor Radda said the ambulance deployment was aimed at reducing delays in accessing medical care and improving referrals across the state. "We're expanding access to quality care across all 361 wards," he said. He disclosed that more than 280 Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Centres had been renovated and revitalised, while work on the remaining 80 was expected to be completed. According to him, the upgraded facilities would operate round the clock and have staff quarters, water supply, solar electricity, basic medical equipment and tricycle ambulances. At the secondary healthcare level, the governor commissioned the newly upgraded General Hospital, Charanchi, describing it as one of six secondary healthcare facilities established by his administration. He said hospitals in Faskari and Mai'adua were at advanced stages and would be commissioned before the end of 2026. Radda further disclosed that 20,000 inmates, 20,000 persons living with disabilities and 50,000 members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps and vigilante groups had been enrolled in free health insurance.
The Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Shema'u, said the ambulances would be used for referrals, including for pregnant women and residents of hard-to-reach communities. "The ambulances will strengthen referrals, particularly for pregnant women and other patients in hard-to-reach communities, and contribute to reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths," she said. The Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System, Dr Adamu Saminu Adamu, confirmed that the 238 tricycle ambulances launched constituted the first batch of the 361 planned for the state's 361 wards.
The initiative is part of a wider national push. In May 2026, President Tinubu launched the National Emergency Medical Service and Ambulance System, unveiling 145 tricycle ambulances, six boat ambulances and emergency communication equipment aimed at improving access to life-saving healthcare services across Nigeria. The Federal Government subsequently began nationwide distribution of Advanced Life Support ambulances and tricycle ambulances to strengthen emergency medical response, particularly in rural and underserved communities. The tricycle ambulances were designed specifically for emergency transport of pregnant women and newborns in difficult terrains where conventional ambulances cannot operate effectively. Katsina's deployment represents one of the largest state-level rollouts of the initiative so far.
The tricycles are not merely vehicles but symbols of a broader philosophy — that healthcare should not be a privilege reserved for those who live near a paved road. They are part of the state's emergency referral chain, intended to ferry patients from primary healthcare centres and villages to secondary facilities where more advanced care is available. The state has also invested in hospital solarisation, a pharmaceutical manufacturing centre and a modern diagnostic and therapeutic imaging centre at Gash, including a 3.0 Tesla MRI machine, as part of a comprehensive effort to overhaul its health sector. Yet significant challenges remain. UNICEF has handed over renovated Primary Healthcare Centres in Batagarawa, Daura and Funtua, but has urged the state to improve staffing and maintenance at these facilities. Health experts warn that ambulances alone cannot solve the crisis — they must be supported by adequately staffed and equipped health centres, reliable supply chains, and community awareness that encourages women to seek care early. The success of Katsina's three-wheeled lifeline will ultimately be measured not in the number of vehicles deployed, but in the number of lives they save.
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