ILORIN- Arrangements have been concluded by the Kwara State Government to collaborate with The Apollo International Hospital, Chinai, India, to make healthcare delivery services available to the people of the State, just as government is evolving policies that intend to be second to none in the country.

The State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed disclosed this on Tuesday when he received in audience the Apollo Medical team from India led by Mr Jithu Jose, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Ilorin.

The governor, who expressed appreciation to the team for its choice of Kwara State to support the state government in its bid to make quality healthcare delivery services available to the people, urged the hospital management to assist the State in the training of medical personnel in areas that require special attention where the hospital has expertise.

According to the governor “Kwara State has been one of the major states that have been in the fore front of ensuring quality healthcare delivery services to its people.

“We have come into this administration with a clear sense of focus in critical areas that would support development and one of the critical areas we have looked at is the health service delivery system.

“We have clearly outlined our support for the health service system in line with our agenda on human capital development to foster growth in the area of primary healthcare which is very critical largely because a lot of people live in the rural environment”.

According to him, the state government had clearly mapped out set policies that will ensure that health service delivery is made available to the people at every nook and corner of the state within a maximum radius of five hundred metres.

Alhaji Ahmed further disclosed that his administration is supporting clusters of primary health care systems with secondary healthcare delivery services, while also strengthening it with the tertiary healthcare delivery services; with the primary objective of making healthcare delivery services available to the people at affordable cost.

The governor, who described the India Medical Personnel as globally recognised in the development of healthcare delivery services, commended the efforts of The Apollo International through the Indian government for its support to other parts of the world, particularly its interest in Africa, Nigeria and Kwara State.

Alhaji Ahmed also told the visiting team that the state government had invested about N1.5billion Naira to support development of an International Diagnostic Centre in Ilorin, the State capital which would become functional by the first quarter of next year, with a view to engendering strong healthcare delivery service.

The Diagnostic Centre, which would be first of its kind in the sub-region, is expected to be managed by some group of Indians from Lagos who are experts in diagnostics activities and would render services to Nigerians and the West African sub-region.

He expressed optimism that the collaboration would translate into stronger synergies and be mutually beneficial to the people of the two countries.

Earlier, the leader of the medical team, Mr Jithu Jose had expressed appreciation to the state government for the invitation and promised to work closely with the Ministry of Health to achieve maximum result from the collaboration.