The Senate has passed the bill to establish a Federal Medical Centre, Adikpo in Benue State, sponsored by Senator Emmanuel Udende.
The bill, whose third and final reading was unanimously approved by the Senate in a committee of the whole, seeks to establish a federal medical centre in Adikpo that will cater to the health needs of the people of Benue North East senatorial zone, Benue State, and Nigeria in general and beyond.
According to the sponsor, the bill awaiting presidential assent seeks to bring medical care closer to the people, especially in times of emergency.
According to him, the bill followed the amendment to the Federal Medical Centre Act of 2022.
According to Senator Udende, the distance between Adikpo, a Nigerian border town, and Makurdi, the state capital with a Federal Medical Centre, is over 300 kilometres, which puts patients who need medical care in danger. Hence, his resolve to use the parliament’s instrumentality to address the troubling health challenge.
He explained that the people of Kwande, who share boundaries with the Republic of Cameroon, are most often required to seek medical attention outside their country and are frustrated or unable to afford the cost.
According to Senator Udende, who represents Benue North East, the health facility’s strategic location will provide potential economic benefits through trade and cultural exchange, given its proximity to the Republic of Cameroon.
He stressed that the Federal Medical Centre will also trigger infrastructure development, healthcare, and education in the locality.
He expressed concerns that the absence of such institutions on the side of the Nigerian border town has grossly caused underdevelopment and commended them for responding positively and in a timely manner to his people’s plight.
He also commended the Senate Committee on Health and Tertiary Institutions for conducting the public hearing that led to the bill’s final parliamentary journey.
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