Makurdi: The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi, have formalized a partnership aimed at providing healthcare services to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the MoU was signed by SEMA Executive Secretary, Sir James Iorpuu, and BSUTH Chief Medical Director, Dr. Stephen Hwande, at a ceremony held in Makurdi. Iorpuu emphasized that this collaboration marks a pivotal step in efforts to mitigate the hardships faced by IDPs in the state, particularly in accessing essential healthcare services. He highlighted the significant challenge of healthcare accessibility for IDPs due to financial and logistical constraints and explained that the partnership with BSUTH aims to bridge this gap.
Iorpuu elaborated that IDPs in ten designated camps will benefit from timely and quality healthcare services at BSUTH, with SEMA committing to settle the incurre
d medical bills subsequently. He underscored the partnership as a demonstration of commitment to IDP welfare and a model for addressing humanitarian challenges through institutional collaboration. Iorpuu also stressed the importance of effective and transparent implementation of the agreement, ensuring accountability from both SEMA and BSUTH in achieving the initiative’s goals.
Dr. Hwande, in his remarks, praised SEMA for taking the initiative to assume responsibility for the healthcare of IDPs, a role traditionally managed by organizations like the Red Cross. He acknowledged the financial burden of treating IDPs, citing the high costs associated with certain medical cases, such as lassa fever. Dr. Hwande assured that BSUTH would offer discounts based on case severity to alleviate some of these financial pressures.