Kwara State government has disclosed that contracts worth N5 billion had been awarded for the upgrade of 70 Primary Health Care, PHC, facilities in the three senatorial districts.
Executive Secretary, Kwara State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Professor Nusirat Elelu, made this known yesterday in Ilorin at the contract-signing event.
Elelu stated that the intervention would include infrastructural upgrade, solarisation, provision of staff quarters, potable water supply and supply of ultra-modern hospital equipment across the benefitting PHC facilities.
“The intervention is coming with the support of the World Bank supported Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Progress and Transforming Services, IMPACT, project.
“It will make PHCs better positioned to provide quality and improved services across the state.
“The overall objective is to make facilities ‘fit for the intended purpose since is it is the first contact with the national health system,” the executive secretary said.
She implored the successful bidders to ensure that they deliver quality projects to justify the trust reposed on them.
Elelu warned that any contractor found wanting would have his contract terminated immediately.
The executive secretary also said that the contracts would be supervised closely.
“This is part of the efforts of the state government to revitalise the PHC system.
“53 PHCs had earlier been renovated, while nine are presently under renovation. More facilities will be renovated in the near future.
“This is a demonstration of the commitment of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration to the PHC system.
“Similarly, about 1,005 PHC workers, including doctors, were recently recruited into the system to ensure availability of adequate human resources to man these facilities,” she said.
Also, the IMPACT Programme Manager, Dr Michael Oguntoye, said the contract was to be delivered within three months, while undue delay in the implementation of the project would not be tolerated.
Oguntoye added that the upgrade was one out of the several interventions that the state is benefitting from the IMPACT project, which is aimed at reducing maternal, child morbidity and mortality.
He added that the primary beneficiaries of the IMPACT project are under-five children and women, while the project’s interventions would also improve access to health services for residents.
The manager said IMPACT would also strengthen national monitoring and evaluation systems, as well as contribute to demand generation and service improvement. (NAN)
