Kebbi State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega
The Kebbi State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega, fondly called KESCOHEST, is one of the oldest college of health technology in Nigeria and was established in 1971.
| Type of Institution | Established | Location |
| Public | 1971 | Along Sokoto Road Jega |
Kebbi State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega, formerly known as Medical Auxiliary Training School was established and commissioned on the 9th October, 1971 by the Police commissioner Umar Farouk, the then Governor of the North-West State based on the prevailing health situations and low human health resources available in the community. The then school offered training of one cadre called Rural Health Assistant, popularly known as Dispensing Assistance. During the period 1971 – 1978, 394 candidates were admitted out of which 330 Rural Health Assistants successfully graduated.
In August 1978, Kebbi State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega, under the directive of the Federal Military Government was transformed from Medical Auxiliary Training School to School of Health Technology, Jega, by the then Sokoto State Government, as a result of third National Development Plan (1975 -1980) on National Basic Health Service Scheme (NBHSS) which mandated the training of middle level manpower for the health sector.
In 1980, the College trained Public Health Superintendents who were certificated by the Royal Society of Health, London with the Professional Diploma for Health Inspectors. This training lasted up to 1983. In 1983, the West African Health Examination Board (WAHEB) took over and conducted the first Professional Diploma Certificate Examination for the Public Health Superintendents. This training was later changed to a four-year ND/ HND Environmental Health Officers Programme in 1994. In 1999, the trainings of Environmental Health Assistants and Technicians were introduced.
In 1980 and 1981, the College conducted the training of Community Health Aides. Between 1983 and 1987, the training of Community Health Supervisors was undertaken, while that of Post-Basic Community Health Extension Workers was introduced between 1988 and 1989. The training of Junior Community Health Extension Workers (JCHEW) was started in 1996. In 1992, the Pharmacy Assistants Programme replaced the two-year Pharmacy Technician Course. In 1997, the Pharmacy Technician course was reintroduced as a three- year programme and the College became the only one running the programme in the North-West Health Zone at that time.
In the year 2000, the training of Medical Laboratory Technicians was introduced in addition to the Medical Laboratory Assistants (MLA).
From the inception the school had Nursing Department which trained Nursing Assistant and Nursing Aides. However, the Department has since been scrapped. Later the Medical Records Department was also created to train Medical Records Assistant; the Department was also scrapped.
Graduates of the College are Certificate, Diploma or Higher National Diploma (or equivalent) holders as determined by respective National Registering Bodies. The College collabrates with a number of registering bodies such as West African Health Examination Board (WAHEB), Community Health Practitioners Registration Board of Nigeria (CHPRBN), Pharmacist Council of Nigeria (PCN), Institute of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (IMLSN).
In 2021, the School was upgraded to College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega by KBS. Law No. 005 of 2020 by Kebbi State Government under the leadership of Sen. Atiku Bagudu the State Governor.
The upgrade was in anticipation of the dynamic role the College was to play in the production of qualified middle cadre man power needs of the Health care delivery system for the local, State and the Country at large through quality lraining, retraining, research and human development. In the words of Sen. Atiku Bagudu the State Governor, “College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega is at the forefront of the overall programme for streamlining our Health system to meet the needs of the State”. This upgrade became a catalyst that threw up the need for advancement for the College. Thus, the first step taken was the constitution of a Governing Board by the State governor to help redirect the affairs of the institution in order to accomplish the expectations and overcome the overwhelming challenges of its new status.
College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega by KBS. Law No. 005 of 2020 Edict”. which granted it the mandate to provide full-time and part-time courses of instruction and training in Health technology. This decree represented a major step towards the development of the College.
The College has a Quality Assurance Unit in the College which monitors and ensures the quality of the academic services delivery to the students. The College community enjoys a 24/7 medical services delivery at the college clinic. Furthermore, the college sport complex located at the centre of the campus, houses a number of sports facilities for the conduct of various sports activities.
The College is currently headed by Sa’ad Haruna, Phd, the Provost. He is an Alumnus of the institution. He succeeded Sadiq Abubakar Noma the pioneer Provost of the college, on July 16, 2021.
The over 45 years old Institution has been headed by a number of Indigenous Principals and Provosts;
| S/N | Principals/Provost Name | Year | Designation |
| 1 | Mr TM Ryan | 1976-1979 | Principal |
| 2 | Alh Sule Okoliko | 1979-1980 | Principal |
| 3 | Alh Yusuf Muhammad Anka | 1980-1986 | Principal |
| 4 | Alh Garba Salisu Koko | 1987-1988 | Principal |
| 5 | Alh Faruku Yahaya Bawa | 1988-1989 | Principal |
| 6 | Alh Bello Muhammad Gusau | 1989-1990 | Principal |
| 7 | Alh Ibrahim Muhammad Zuru | 1991-1997 | Principal |
| 8 | Alh Garba Aliero | 1998-2001 | Principal |
| 9 | Atiku S Yamma | 2002-2007 | Principal |
| 10 | Dr Atiku Muhammad Kende | 2007-2014 | Principal |
| 11 | Aminu Mohammad Dakingari | 2014-2021 | Principal |
| 12 | Sadiq Abubakar Noma | (March 2021)-(June 2021) | Provost |
| 13 | Sa'adu Haruna (Phd) | (July 2021) Incumbent- Provost | Provost |
The College has nine academic departments with a total of fifteen accredited programmes, across ND, HND levels. The College also offers certificate courses.