Katsina Pays Mothers N1,000 for Every Infant Immunisation Visit

The Katsina State Government has introduced a N1,000 transportation incentive for mothers who take their babies to health facilities for routine immunisation, in addition to providing the vaccines free of charge.

The initiative is part of the state government’s broader healthcare policy under Governor Dikko Radda, which includes free immunisation for children under five and free healthcare for pregnant women up to delivery.

At the Comprehensive Health Centre in Kofar Kaura, popularly known as Kofar Kaura Hospital, several mothers were seen bringing their babies for routine immunisation.

Among them was Charity Okere, a mother of three and an indigene of Anambra State who resides in Katsina.

Okere visited the facility on Monday, August 10, 2026, to immunise her youngest child.

She said she had previously paid for infant immunisation while living in southwestern Nigeria, where she recalled paying N200 for each vaccination visit in 2022.

In Katsina, however, she said the government not only provided the immunisation free of charge but also paid her N1,000 at each visit to assist with transportation costs.

“They give N1,000 for every immunisation visit. I don’t know how much I would normally pay in another hospital in the state,” she said.

“But in the Southwest, where I lived, it was N200 for every immunisation back in 2022. Since I came to Katsina, we have not been paying for immunisation.”

Okere was among dozens of mothers who queued at the facility to have their babies vaccinated.

The process involved immunising the children, documenting the mothers and babies and recording evidence of the N1,000 payment.

Another resident, Maryam Sani, also confirmed receiving the transportation allowance during her visits to the facility for her child’s immunisation.

Why Katsina pays mothers N1,000

The Acting Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Shema’u Kabir, explained that the N1,000 payment was introduced to help mothers offset the cost of transportation to health facilities.

According to her, the initiative is part of the state’s wider strategy to ensure that financial and transportation challenges do not prevent mothers from taking their children for routine vaccination.

She said Governor Radda’s healthcare policy provides free medical care for pregnant women until delivery, as well as free immunisation for children below the age of five.

The state also uses projected population figures to determine the number of mothers and infants targeted under its healthcare programmes.

Free drugs also available

The government’s healthcare intervention extends beyond maternal and child health.

Free medicines for basic health conditions are also provided through the Drug Revolving Fund Scheme at government-owned health facilities.

Zainab Suleiman, a resident of the Kofar Kaura neighbourhood, said she regularly visits Kofar Kaura Hospital whenever she falls ill and has benefited from the free medication programme.

She said she recently became ill and initially feared she might not be able to obtain the medication she needed.

According to Suleiman, she had previously received free drugs at the facility.

She added that even when particular medicines were unavailable, health officials sometimes collected her phone number and contacted her when the drugs became available.

The experiences of the patients highlight the broader healthcare interventions being implemented by the Katsina State Government, particularly in maternal and child health, immunisation and access to basic medicines.