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The Benue State Emergency Management Agency and the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, on Thursday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to allow internally displaced persons in the state to have prompt access to healthcare.
The acting Executive Secretary of SEMA, James Iorpuu, lamented the plight of the IDPs across Makurdi and Guma local government areas, describing it as one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges.
He said, “These vulnerable populations face numerous difficulties, with access to healthcare being one of the most critical.
“Many IDPs are unable to access the medical attention they urgently need due to financial constraints and logistical barriers.”
Iorpuu said the agency’s collaboration with the teaching hospital would help the displaced persons receive timely and quality healthcare services at the hospital.
He added that payments for such services would be settled by the agency at a later date.
“This initiative is not just a demonstration of our commitment to the welfare of displaced persons; it is also a testament to the importance of partnerships in addressing the complexities of humanitarian crises,” he said.
The Chief Medical Director of the teaching hospital, Dr Stephen Hwande, described the agreement as necessary to help the displaced persons access immediate health care.
Hwande described the initiative as a landmark that would outlive the SEMA acting executive secretary.
He said, “For the first time in history, SEMA is saying ‘I will take responsibility for treating the IDPs’. These are landmarks that you leave, imprints you leave for yourself.
“The money to treat these patients is a lot. For instance, one Lassa case sometimes takes close to a million naira to treat and we have discussed it 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.”
