The World Bank (WB), through its IMPACT project, has assisted the Kwara State government to revitalise 70 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the state.

WB also revitalised 13 PHCs through funding from the Basic Health Care Provision Funds, tagged the Kwara State Project HOPE, and earnings from the 2023 and 2024 Leadership Challenge Fund Awards won by Kwara State.

The Executive Secretary of the state Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA), Prof. Nusirat Elelu, disclosed these in Ilorin on Monday at the launching of the 83 revitalised Primary Health Care Centres across the state.

According to Elelu, the joint projects represent far more than renovated buildings and new equipment.

“It represents our renewed commitment to bringing quality healthcare to the doorsteps of our people,” she said.

The projects, according to her, would make access to the state’s healthcare provision easier. She said: “We are reaching mothers who previously delivered at home without skilled birth attendants. We are reaching communities that were once beyond the last mile. Every mother, child and family who now have access through these revitalised facilities is a testament to what we can accomplish through strategic partnership and shared vision.

“These 83 newly revitalised facilities have been upgraded to standard Level Two PHCs. Each is now equipped with functional labour rooms for safe deliveries, dedicated immunisation units with reliable cold chain systems, antenatal and postnatal care units, laboratories and pharmacies, essential medicines and equipment, solar-powered electricity, clean water through newly installed motorised boreholes, perimeter fencing and adequate staff quarters to ensure 24-hour service readiness,” she explained.

She informed that the governor’s ceaseless support and care for the health sector encouraged the state to win the much-prized PHC Leadership Challenge Fund Award three times back-to-back.

According to her, over 722,000 outpatients have visited Kwara’s PHCs, with over 30,000 deliveries recorded compared to 8,020 deliveries in 2020.

She added: “Over 500,000 pregnant women were reached with haematinics compared to 120,000 in 2020, while over 1.6 million children benefited from our Vitamin A outreach exercise compared to just over 100,000 children reached in 2020.”

She said that the information was not just statistics: “They represent people whose futures have been secured due to the lifesaving services we provide.”

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said the confidence of the World Bank in the state and his government was drawn from his bold commitment to quality healthcare for every citizen of Kwara State.

He said his commitment was in fulfilment of his campaign promises to prioritise quality and accessible healthcare for everyone in the state.

“We recognise that the primary healthcare system is the foundation of any functional health system and will get our full attention.

“Today, we are not just fulfilling a campaign promise. As we have done over the past years, we are laying a foundation for a healthier, more prosperous generation,” he said.

He recalled: “We inherited a primary healthcare system that was in a state of extreme disrepair, with far-reaching consequences on the people.

“We, however, refused to accept this as our reality. Instead, we worked in partnership with different stakeholders like the World Bank, especially the IMPACT project, UNICEF, and others through enhanced commitment and prompt payment of counterpart funding.

“We embarked on a comprehensive health sector transformation agenda with primary healthcare as its cornerstone. These facilities you see today represent more than mere buildings and equipment; they represent hope, dignity, and our administration’s determination to bridge the healthcare divide between urban and rural areas.

“Each of these facilities has been renovated to new standards. Pregnant women will no longer need to travel long distances to access antenatal care and safe delivery services. Children will receive timely immunisations and treatment for common childhood illnesses.

“Our youth will have access to reproductive health information and services. Our elderly will receive care for chronic conditions closer to home,” he stated.

Also speaking, the National Programme Manager of the project, Dr. Amina Abdul-One Muhammed, urged the community to make use of the facilities.

She cautioned the people against vandalising the multi-million-naira facilities that span across the state.