KW-HMB secures accreditation for six pharmacy departments to train graduate pharmacists and bridge manpower gap

The Kwara State Hospitals Management Board (KW-HMB), North Central Nigeria, has reaffirmed its commitment to its vision of becoming a leading provider of high-quality, equitable, and climate-smart secondary healthcare services throughout the state.

Dr. Abdulraheem Malik, the Executive Secretary of the Hospitals Management Board, emphasized this commitment during the inter-ministerial press briefing at the Ministry of Finance in Ilorin.

Dr. Malik highlighted that the Board's primary objectives are to enhance service delivery, promote health equity, and ensure sustainable operations through innovation and accountability.

The Executive Secretary disclosed that during the period under review, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has employed additional medical doctors to bridge the existing gap in the tertiary health facilities, ensuring improved healthcare services delivery across the state.

Crucially, he confirmed that the Hospitals Management Board has successfully restored accreditation for six pharmacy departments in Kwara State hospitals, a status granted by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN). This accreditation is vital as it now enables these hospitals to train graduate pharmacists, which will help to bridge the manpower gap in the sector.

According to him, "These accreditations had been lost for over two decades, giving credence to the Governor of Kwara State, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, for approving the recruitment of thirty intern pharmacists, stressing that this initiative is aimed at addressing the manpower gap and improving service delivery in the healthcare sector."

Dr Malik expressed gratitude that this administration, for the first time in history, will be training intern nurses in five secondary health facilities across the state under the purview of the Hospitals Management Board, following a successful due diligence process similar to those undertaken in other states across the federation.

He also mentioned the expansion of the "Buy Kwara" initiative, which, according to him, supports indigenous pharmaceutical companies such as Tuyil, Sam's, HMA, and Biomedical. Now, essential items for hospitals, including bedsheets, scrubs, lab coats, and work jackets, will be sourced from the Kwara Garment Factory (KGF).

Speaking on the control of patients' inflow, the Executive Secretary stated that, "The Hospitals Management Board will devise means of cutting-edge technology where patients can schedule appointments before visiting government hospitals to meet with their choice doctors. This is aimed at improving health care services delivery in the State by reducing wait time for patients, standardising doctors' workload and minimising conflicts between patients and staff."

Regarding human capital development, Dr Malik stated that no fewer than 1,320 medical students received clinical training across the Hospitals Management Board's facilities, while medical equipment worth millions was deployed to strengthen diagnostic and treatment capacities in secondary care facilities.