From Joseph Uchenna, in Makurdi
The Benue State government has begun a high-level statewide tour of general hospitals as part of the Governor Hyacinth Alia administration’s comprehensive programme to rehabilitate, upgrade and reposition all secondary healthcare facilities across the state.
The State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Ejeh Ogwuche led the assessment team which included the Representative of Project C.U.R.E., USA, Mrs. Kerry Jeffords; the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Beatrice Tsavmbu; the Executive Secretary of the Benue State Health Management Board, Dr. Matthew Onoja; and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties and intergovernmental affairs, Mr. Fidelis Unongo.
The exercise, which began at the General hospital North Bank Makurdi on Friday, continued over the weekend with the delegation visiting the General Hospitals in Aliade (Gwer West Local Government Area), Idekpa (Ohimini Local Government Area), Otukpa (Ogbadibo Local Government Area), and Oju (Oju Local Government Area).
Speaking during the visits, Dr. Paul Ejeh Ogwuche reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia to the systematic rehabilitation and strengthening of secondary healthcare facilities, noting that healthcare delivery remains a core pillar of the Governor’s people-centred governance agenda.
The Commissioner recalled that in 2025, Governor Hyacinth Alia facilitated the donation of ten containers of assorted high-tech medical equipment valued at several billions of naira through Project C.U.R.E., USA, explaining that the ongoing needs assessment is critical to ensuring the transparent, efficient, and equitable deployment of the donated equipment, strictly guided by clearly identified facility-level needs.
According to Dr. Ogwuche, the assessment exercise has provided valuable first-hand insights into infrastructural deficiencies, equipment gaps, and service delivery challenges confronting secondary healthcare facilities across the visited locations, thereby informing targeted and evidence-based interventions.
He commended Governor Alia for prioritising the health and wellbeing of Benue citizens, describing the administration’s health sector reforms as people-focused, deliberate, and results-oriented.
The Commissioner also urged healthcare workers across the state to align with the ongoing reforms by upholding professionalism, accountability, and dedication to duty, stressing that improvements in infrastructure must be matched with corresponding improvements in service delivery and patient care.
The statewide hospital needs assessment, he noted, underscores the Alia administration’s determination to rebuild the foundations of public healthcare delivery in Benue State, restore confidence in government-owned health facilities, and ensure that they effectively serve the people for whom they were established.
Under the leadership of Governor Alia, and through the direct coordination of Dr. Paul Ejeh Ogwuche, the Benue State Government said it is moving decisively from assessment to action, translating policy direction into measurable outcomes, and accelerating the transformation of secondary healthcare facilities in line with the administration’s broader health sector renewal agenda.
