Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has recorded clear, visible, and measurable achievements in the health sector and other areas of governance, the Commissioner for Health, Amina Ahmed El-Imam, has said.

Speaking in a statement issued in Ilorin on Monday, Dr. El-Imam described recent criticisms of the administration’s health sector performance as “mere political posturing,” insisting that ongoing reforms and investments are backed by verifiable facts.

According to the commissioner, the Kwara State Government has procured cutting-edge diagnostic equipment, including a state-of-the-art 160-slice CT scan and a modern 1.5 Tesla MRI machine, both of which will soon be commissioned for public use.

She added that modern abdominal ultrasound machines have also been procured and distributed across health facilities in the state to strengthen diagnostic capacity at multiple levels of care.

Dr. El-Imam disclosed that the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH), which was previously unavailable or non-functional in any state-owned facility, has now been completed and fully equipped.

“The ICU is fitted with state-of-the-art facilities, including a C-Arm machine, to enhance the care of critically ill patients and support complex medical and surgical procedures,” she said, adding that several other upgrades are ongoing across the sector.

Responding to a recent newspaper commentary questioning MRI availability and the overall state of healthcare delivery, the commissioner stressed that discussions around health services must be guided by facts and objective assessment.

“At the inception of the present administration, a comprehensive assessment revealed that most inherited health infrastructure and medical equipment were dilapidated, obsolete, or non-functional,” she explained, noting that the findings were clearly documented in the transition committee’s report.

She clarified that the MRI machine previously installed at the Harmony Advanced Diagnostic Centre (HADC) was a low-field 0.35 Tesla machine, which no longer met modern diagnostic standards even at the time of installation.

“Such low-Tesla machines are inadequate for neurological, oncological, spinal, and complex medico-surgical conditions,” she said.

Dr. El-Imam acknowledged that the shortage of medical personnel, particularly doctors, is a national and global challenge exacerbated by the “Japa” phenomenon.

Despite this, she said the Kwara State Government has taken proactive steps by conducting massive recruitment across all cadres, including medical officers, specialists, nurses, pharmacists, and house officers. She added that the ongoing recruitment of 150 nurses has already been approved.

On remuneration, the commissioner noted that Kwara State pays the revised CONMESS and CONHESS salary structures across all cadres, in line with federal standards.

She further revealed that 41 resident doctors are currently undergoing specialist training, supported through the regular payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF).

“Notably, Kwara State was the first state in Nigeria to commence payment of the MRTF in 2025,” she said, describing it as evidence of the administration’s leadership in health workforce development.

Dr. El-Imam also highlighted the state’s free medico-surgical outreach programme, which delivers medical consultations, treatments, free drugs, eye and general surgeries, and free eyeglasses to indigent residents across all 16 local government areas.

“In 2025 alone, 10,374 Kwarans benefitted from the outreach programme,” she said.

She added that the programme is reinforced by aggressive enrollment into KwaraCare, the state’s health insurance scheme, as part of efforts to expand access to affordable healthcare and achieve universal health coverage.