The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has given pharmacy departments of seven hospitals in Kwara State the approval to operate as internship training centres for graduate pharmacists.
The executive secretary of the State Hospitals Management Board, Dr AbdulRahman Malik, disclosed this during an interview with LEADERSHIP in Ilorin, the state capital on Monday.
He said the facilities lost their accreditation about 20 years ago.
He listed the accredited facilities as General Hospital Patigi; General Hospital Offa; Kwara State University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin; Civil Service Hospital, Ilorin; Sobi Specialist Hospital, Alagbado; Children’s Specialist Hospital, Ilorin, and Kwara State Essential Drugs Project.
Malik said that the accreditation exercise was a long and tedious process that involved the PCN sending an accreditation team to Kwara State to inspect the facilities.
He added that the state could now resume the training of intern pharmacists from all schools of Pharmacy in Nigeria, a privilege it lost two decades ago.
He explained that due diligence was observed throughout the accreditation process, adding that all facilities were required to meet specific preconditions before receiving approval.
He said that “this exercise marks a significant boost for the health sector under this current administration that will help in further closing the manpower gaps.”
Malik assured the commitment of the Board to supervise and monitor all the accredited facilities to ensure sustained improvements in healthcare service delivery in the state.
LEADERSHIP reports that the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, had in 2024 gave his approval and full support to the Kwara State Hospitals Management Board to seek the re-accreditation of the pharmacy departments of state-owned hospitals that were lost more than 20 years ago.
