Kwara commences upgrading of 70 health centres with N5bn

Abdullateef Fowewe

The Kwara State Government has commenced the upgrade of 70 Primary Health Care facilities across the state’s three senatorial districts, elevating them to Level 2 PHCs at a cost of N5 billion.

Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Professor Nusirat Elelu, disclosed this during the contract signing ceremony at the agency’s headquarters in Ilorin.

The intervention, according to Elelu, includes infrastructural upgrades, solarisation, provision of staff quarters, potable water supply, and the supply of ultra-modern hospital equipment across all benefiting PHC facilities.

A statement on Sunday, by the KWSPHCDA’s Press Secretary, Alade Opeyemi, highlighted the role of the World Bank-supported Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Progress and Transforming services project in funding the initiative.

The statement said partly, “The intervention is coming with the support of the World Bank-supported IMPACT services project.”

“It will make Primary Health Care facilities better positioned to provide quality and improved healthcare services across the state.

“The overall objective is to make all PHC facilities ‘fit for purpose’ since the PHC system is the first contact with the people at the grassroots in the national health system,” Elelu clarified.

She thereby urged contractors to deliver quality work, warning that any contractor who fails to meet standards will have their contract terminated.

She emphasised that the agency would closely monitor the projects to ensure judicious use of the funds.

“This is part of the efforts of the Kwara State Government to revitalise the PHC system in the state,” Elelu added.

Recalling past efforts, she noted that 53 PHCs had previously been renovated, while nine others are currently undergoing renovation.

More facilities, she added, would be upgraded in the near future to enhance grassroots healthcare delivery.

“This is a further demonstration of the commitment of the administration of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to the Primary Health Care system,” Elelu said, revealing that 1,005 PHC workers, including doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, were recently recruited to strengthen the system,” she said.