By Sunday Ogli, Makurdi
State government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU with Benue State University Teaching Hospital, BSUTH in order to provide adequate health care for internally displaced persons, IDPs in the state.
Performing the ceremony at the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, BSEMA office in Makurdi on Thursday, the Executive Secretary of BSEMA, Sir James Iorpuu, said the the exercise became expedient because of the plight of IDPs in camps across Makurdi and Guma local government areas which became a pressing humanitarian challenge.
According to Iorpuu, “These vulnerable populations face numerous difficulties, with access to healthcare being one of the most critical.”
He said many of the IDPs are unable to access the medical attention they urgently need due to financial constraints and logistical barriers.
“It is in recognition of this need that Benue SEMA has sought this collaboration with BSUTH, an institution renowned for its excellence in medical care and service delivery.
“Through this agreement, IDPs in the 10 designated camps will now have the opportunity to receive timely and quality healthcare services at BSUTH, with the assurance that payments for such services will be settled by SEMA at a later date.
He stressed that the initiative is not just a demonstration of the commitment of the state government to the welfare of displaced persons; but also a testament to the importance of partnerships in addressing the complexities of humanitarian crises.
“By leveraging the expertise and resources of BSUTH and the coordination capabilities of SEMA, we are setting a precedent for how institutions can work together to achieve common goals for the betterment of society.
“I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the management of BSUTH for their willingness to collaborate with us on this noble cause. Your dedication to saving lives and promoting public health resonates deeply with the mission of Benue SEMA.
“As we formalize this partnership, let me reiterate that our efforts do not stop here. We must ensure that this agreement is implemented effectively and transparently. Both SEMA and BSUTH must remain accountable to the people we serve, ensuring that this initiative achieves its intended impact.
“Together, let us reaffirm our commitment to providing not just relief, but also dignity and hope to the vulnerable populations in our care,” he said.
On his part, the Chief Medical Director, CMD of BSUTH, Dr Stephen Hwande, described SENA’s initiative as landmark, stressing that such initiatives were hitherto left in the hands of Red Cross and other donor agencies.
“For the first time in history, SEMA is saying , I will take responsibility of treating the IDPs. These are landmarks that you leave imprints you leave for yourself.
“The money to treat these patients is a lot of money. One Lassa case sometimes takes close to a million naira. We have discussed with the lawyer and we said we will give some discount; if the cases are more expensive, we will give more discount. We will support SEMA and in turn we are supporting the governor and the common man.
“This structure (BSUTH) was built by someone else; we are also building our own so that when we leave someone will say: it was Alia and Hwande that built this ones.”
He urged Iorpuu not to be distracted by people who do not want to appreciate what he is doing because it will save a lot of lives.
“We have brought in biometrics; we are fixing biometrics everywhere. When you come your finger prints will tell us that you came to work because we must improve productivity; we must give our people efficiency.
“We are doing this things without fear or favour, because if you don’t come out straight and strong, it will consume you and tomorrow they will say you were inefficient”, Dr Hwande stated.