The federal government, through the office of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has distributed about 500 hospital beds among other medical items to 158 primary healthcare centers in Kwara state for quality healthcare services to the people.

Speaking with journalists during the distribution in Ilorin, the Executive Secretary, Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Hajia Nusirat Elelu, who was full of appreciation to the FG for the intervention, said that other items distributed included mattresses, gloves, side-lockers, etc.

Elelu, who said that the intervention would support the commitment of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to the state's health care sector, added that “Through the office of the state primary health care agency, we now have at least one functional health facility in 158 wards out of the 193 wards in the state.

She said that the outstanding 37 wards would be accredited to benefit from the state basic health care provision fund within the next quarter.

“These beds are coming at a time period because we are going to be able to furnish our health facilities with the state of the art beddings and mattresses as well as side lockers that would improve the infrastructural outlook of our PHC.

“Right now, we have already asked local governments to generate a list of facilities so that we can identify the gaps in bed requirements in each of the facilities. About 1,600 beds were requested to be distributed to health facilities based on needs. Like Oliver Twist, we are asking for more equipment which we believe is on the way to support primary healthcare”. She also expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for finding Kwara state worthy of the number of items presented, saying that the items would be judiciously utilized for quality healthcare delivery.

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to the state governor, Dr. Jemilat Bio, said that the governor's commitment to the health sector, especially the primary health care in the state, attracted the intervention.

“Not every state qualified for this intervention and support from the office of the special assistant to the president on SDGs because they are actually watching and the state is proactive. They are encouraged to support a proactive governor. I thank him for his proactive nature and I also thank him for accelerating the basic health care provision fund in the state. This is an effort basically to augment what he is doing in the primary health care sector of the state”, she said.

While conducting journalists around the basic health care provisional facilities at Baboko ward clinic and maternity, Alapata, Ilorin, Kwara State, the Executive Secretary of Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Nusirat Elelu expressed delight in the present state of facilities.