The Kwara State government has improved secondary healthcare services by hiring more doctors, investing heavily in medical training, and broadening its “Buy Kwara” initiative to support local industries.
Speaking at an inter-ministerial press briefing in Ilorin today, Abdulraheem Malik, Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Hospitals Management Board (KW-HMB), outlined the board’s commitment to becoming a premier provider of high-quality, equitable, and “climate-smart” secondary healthcare across the state.
He stressed that the board’s core mission is to enhance service delivery, promote health fairness, and ensure operations are sustainable through innovation and accountability.
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Malik confirmed that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has approved the employment of additional medical doctors to fill vacancies in tertiary health facilities, a move intended to immediately improve healthcare delivery.
In a major development for human capital, the KW-HMB has successfully restored accreditation from the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) for six pharmacy departments in state hospitals.
These accreditations had been lost for over two decades.
This achievement allows the hospitals to train graduate pharmacists and is being supported by the governor’s approval for the recruitment of thirty intern pharmacists to further address manpower shortages.
Furthermore, Malik announced that, for the first time in the state’s history, the administration will be training intern nurses in five secondary health facilities under the Board’s management, following a thorough due diligence process.
Overall, no fewer than 1,320 medical students received clinical training across the KW-HMB’s facilities during the period under review.
The “Buy Kwara” initiative has been expanded to not only support indigenous pharmaceutical firms like Tuyil, Sam’s, HMA, and Biomedical but also to source essential hospital supplies from the Kwara Garment Factory (KGF).
This means items such as bedsheets, scrubs, lab coats, and work jackets will now be procured locally.
To enhance patient experience and streamline operations, the Hospitals Management Board plans to introduce cutting-edge technology that will allow patients to schedule appointments before visiting government hospitals.
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This aims to reduce wait times for patients, standardise doctors’ workloads, and minimise conflicts between patients and staff.
Malik noted that medical equipment worth millions has been deployed to strengthen the diagnostic and treatment capabilities within the state’s secondary care facilities.
