The Kwara State Government has engaged the services of 100 village health workers as part of strategies to enhance community healthcare in the villages.

The health workers are to mobilise individuals, households and communities in order to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGs) by 2015.

Speaking at the launch of the MDGs village health workers (VHW) programme, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said that workers are also expected to carry out routine household visits to enhance promotion activities such as good nutrition and immunization practices.

The health workers, the governor added, "will sensitize communities on clean environment, hygiene practices and health education to prevent diseases such as Ebola Virus Diseases (EVD).

On the essence of the MDGs, Governor Ahmed noted that more active collaboration was needed among governments, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and well-meaning individuals in order to achieve its goals.

Ahmed said it was noteworthy that despite the fact that Kwara state joined the MDGs programme late, it attained 08.58 per cent of the infant mortality rate target and 88.75 per cent of the under-mortality rate target until six years.

According to the governor, the state government has over the years built new primary health centres, rehabilitated and equipped existing ones to bring affordable and qualitative healthcare to the rural areas.

The chairman of the MDGs Implementation Committee in the State and Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Demola Banu, in his remarks said the employment of 100 village health workers marked the extension of the frontiers of MDGs as well as employment generation in the rural areas.

Alhaji Banu said the MDGs intervention in the state had been experienced through construction of boreholes, classrooms as well as in the health sector.