Benue Varsity Hospital Uncovers N100m Expired Drugs

Chief medical director of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital in Makurdi, Dr Stephen Hwande has said expired drugs worth over N100 million have been discovered in the store of the facility.

Hwande who disclosed this during a tour of facilities at the Muhammadu Buhari Mother and Child Hospital, Makurdi, preparatory to the commencement of clinical services, said the expired drugs will soon be destroyed publicly.

He expressed worry about why drugs of such magnitude would be allowed to expire in a state that has so many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and other vulnerable groups that may need them.

The spokesperson of the hospital, Cephas Hough, in a telephone interview, quoted Hwande as expressing appreciation to Governor Hyacinth Alia for his interest in the wellbeing of Benue people, adding that his proactiveness was the reason why the federal government did not take back the hospital from the state government due to under-utilisation.

He said, “I want to commend the Governor for his zeal to the plight of Benue people especially in health-related issues and on my part I am promising to do my best to ensure that Citizens get health care services at an affordable rate with antenatal cards and cards for children under five would be given free of charge.”

He also quoted the coordinator of the hospital, Dr. Luper Uva, who said the hospital was built for only women and children, but the CMD thought it wise to add a general outpatients’ department to include men

He commended Hwande for ensuring that the hospital operates as an electronic medical record facility which would make services efficient and easier.

Some of the departments moved to the hospital, according to Hough, are GoPD, NHIS, ART Clinic, obstetrics and gynaecology, and In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) Fertility clinic.