Voice of Nigeria reports that the Kwara State Government has formally handed over the State Civil Service Hospital to a contractor for immediate reconstruction, aiming to upgrade the facility and enhance service delivery for residents. During the handover ceremony in Ilorin, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina Ahmed El-Imam, stated that the expansion is intended to manage the increased traffic to the hospital, following the elevation of Ilorin General Hospital to a tertiary health facility.

Dr. El-Imam added that the contractor has already been mobilized and will begin work shortly. Present at the handover ceremony were the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Segun Ogunsola; General Manager of the State Public Procurement Agency, Raheem Abdulbaqi; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Afsat Nike Ibrahim; and Craneburg Construction Nigeria's representative, Elio Khowiy, alongside other dignitaries.

The Commissioner for Health said, “Today, we are witnessing the handing over of the Civil Service Clinic from the Ministry of Health to the contractor, Craneburg Construction Nigeria, for a complete revamp.

“It is going to be a massive project that will contain a lot of amenities to deliver top-notch health services to the people of Kwara State and beyond.

“This project means an elevation of the Civil Service Clinic to the standard that the people of Kwara deserve. It is a centrally located facility that has over the years serviced people and provided them with good healthcare. However, the demand has outstripped its capacity.

“Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, in his typical style, decided that rather than erecting small rooms, the hospital needed to be completely overhauled and upgraded.”

The Commissioner said the new civil service hospital will provide cutting-edge healthcare to the people, particularly residents of GRA, Fate, Tanke, Basin, Gaa Akanbi, and Sango, among others.

She explained that the upgrade of the Ilorin General Hospital to the State University Teaching Hospital has created gaps for secondary healthcare services, thereby necessitating the turnaround of the civil service hospital.

Ogunsola on his part said, “This project will be a modern facility that takes care of health challenges our people may be facing in Kwara. We have a reliable and competent contractor that will handle the project because we are very concerned about the completion date and quality of the project.”

Craneburg representative Elio Khowiy said they will not compromise the standards of the work and that the first phase of the project will be delivered in 18 months.

He said the completion of the first phase of the project can give the facility a good start of operations, while work continues in the other phase.