TheCable

The Kwara government has approved the conversion of the general hospital in Ilorin to a teaching hospital for the training of medical students and related professionals.

Speaking with journalists on Wednesday, Amina El-Imam, the state commissioner for health, said huge facility upgrades at the hospital had been made as well as legislations to guide operations.

El-Imam said the state executive council observed that the upgrades had qualified the facility as a postgraduate training health institution and approved additional N906.7 million seed fund to push through the transition.

“The proposed seed fund will meet cost of infrastructural facelift and construction of new ones, equipment upgrades, administrative changes, and address manpower needs to support training of medical students, which is complementary to the ongoing postgraduate training,” NAN quoted her as saying.

“This will be of immense benefits to the people of Kwara state and the nation at large.”

She said the council also approved for the government to present a bill on ‘establishment of the Kwara State Teaching Hospital and related matters’ to the house of assembly.

In a related development, the state ministry of works and transport announced the immediate reconstruction of the Wahab Folawiyo Road in Ilorin, following council’s approval.

The road, a major artery into downtown Ilorin, will undergo phased works from December 18 to minimise traffic disruption.

AbdulQuawiy Olododo, the coordinating commissioner for works and transport, assured the public that private properties and business premises not encroaching on government setbacks would remain untouched during the road construction.

He also outlined diversionary routes to ease traffic during the construction period.