Dr. Shamsudeen Yahaya, Executive Secretary, Katsina State Primary Health Care Agency, revealed on Tuesday that 69 primary healthcare facilities in various parts of the state had been closed due to security challenges in the communities where they were located.
He stated that the affected facilities were in Jibia, Safana, Batsari, Faskari, Sabuwa, and other similar communities with security issues.
Yahaya made the revelation to reporters in Katsina.
Terrorists burned down two of the recently renovated facilities in Batsari Local Government Area, he added.
Yahaya went on to say that some of the Agency’s employees in difficult-to-reach communities were requesting to be transferred to safer areas on a weekly basis.
“Some of the facilities, particularly in those compromised local government areas, are difficult to access,” he said. For example, we renovated two facilities in Batsari, but they were attacked and burned down by bandits.
“Right now, about 69 facilities are closed down in Jibia, Safana, Batsari, Sabuwa, Faskari, and other LGAs due to insecurity, and we had some of our staff kidnapped but later released.”
Another challenge is that almost every week, we receive requests from our staff, particularly females, to relocate from those areas to Katsina, Batagarawa, or Kaita. These are the issues that we are dealing with.”
