The intervention follows concerns over cylinder sizes and aims to improve timely oxygen delivery at the Ilorin specialist facility

The Kwara State Government has ordered the immediate delivery of the preferred oxygen cylinder sizes to the Children’s Specialist Hospital, Centre Igboro, Ilorin, after hospital management raised concerns about difficulties affecting oxygen supply to patients.

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The directive was issued on Friday, August 14, 2026, by the Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Hospitals Management Board, Dr Abdulraheem Malik, during a routine inspection of the facility to assess healthcare delivery and identify operational challenges.

The intervention followed concerns raised by the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Dr Mosunmola Folorunsho, who explained that the availability of different cylinder sizes had created difficulties in supplying oxygen efficiently to patients who needed it.

In response, Malik directed the Board’s Engineering and Development Projects Department to provide the hospital with its preferred cylinder size for future deliveries.

The measure is intended to remove an avoidable logistical difficulty and support more timely access to oxygen, an essential component of emergency and paediatric care.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that our hospitals provide safe, effective and patient-centred care,” Malik said.

“We will continue to monitor our facilities, identify areas requiring improvement and work with the management and staff to address them.”

The inspection covered several aspects of the hospital’s operations, including service delivery, staff performance, patient care and the general condition of the facility.

Officials also assessed ventilation at the Emergency Paediatric Unit, electricity supply, water reticulation, the availability of medicines and consumables, and the use of space within the hospital.

The monitoring exercise reflects the Board’s wider effort to identify practical problems in government-owned health facilities and address them before they affect patient care.

Malik said regular oversight remained necessary to ensure that government hospitals maintained appropriate standards and responded to the needs of patients and healthcare workers.

The Executive Secretary also assured the hospital management that observations recorded during the visit would be reviewed and that appropriate interventions would be pursued within the Board’s capacity.

He commended the management and staff for their commitment to caring for children and urged them to maintain professionalism, discipline and compassion in their duties.

Malik also stressed the importance of using public resources judiciously, particularly as health facilities continue to balance service demands with available resources.

Folorunsho welcomed the intervention and commended the Hospitals Management Board for what she described as its continued attention to the welfare of healthcare workers and patients.

She also praised the Board for maintaining regular monitoring of health facilities across the state.

The oxygen intervention offers a practical example of how routine facility inspections can uncover seemingly small logistical challenges with potentially significant implications for patient care.

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For the Children’s Specialist Hospital, the immediate focus will now be on ensuring that the appropriate oxygen cylinders are supplied consistently, helping staff provide essential respiratory support without unnecessary delays.