By Peter Duru, Makurdi

No fewer than 1,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and members of host communities in Benue state have received free secondary and tertiary healthcare services and successfully discharged under a healthcare partnership between the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (Benue-SEMA) and the Moses Orshio Adasu University Teaching Hospital (MOAUTH), Makurdi.

The revelation was made by the Health Focal Person of Benue-SEMA, Dr. Amos Dzungwe, in a statement issued by the agency’s Information Desk Officer, Nongov Moses.

Dr. Dzungwe explained that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Benue-SEMA and the then Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), now MOAUTH, provided for free tertiary healthcare services for registered IDPs and other vulnerable persons across the state.

According to him, the services cover treatment of critical illnesses, intensive care, management of complicated childbirths including twins and quadruplets, surgical operations, treatment of snakebite victims, and other emergency medical interventions.

He said the agency, under the leadership of its Executive Secretary, Sir James Iorpuu, had continued to work closely with the teaching hospital to ensure that displaced persons receive prompt and quality healthcare without financial burden.

“Through this partnership, medical bills for injured IDPs, surgical patients, snakebite victims, women requiring Caesarean sections and other emergency health cases are fully covered,” Dzungwe stated.

He noted that the programme has significantly improved access to healthcare for conflict-affected populations, disclosing that “over 1,000 beneficiaries who received secondary and tertiary medical services have been successfully treated and discharged.”

The health official further revealed that snakebite cases remain a major health challenge in several camps and host communities, but the intervention has helped save many lives.

He also disclosed that several displaced persons requiring surgical procedures had undergone successful operations and were discharged, while others were still receiving treatment at the hospital.

On maternal healthcare, Dzungwe said more than 12 pregnant women from various IDP camps were recently referred to MOAUTH, where they safely delivered their babies through Caesarean section and were subsequently discharged.

Speaking on the recent birth of quadruplets at a local maternity clinic in Ugbema along Adiko Road, he said the mother and her four babies were transferred to MOAUTH for specialized medical care and were responding well to treatment.

“The mother and her quadruplets are in stable condition and the babies have already been immunized,” he said.

He commended the Executive Secretary of Benue-SEMA, Sir James Iorpuu, for swiftly facilitating the transfer of the mother and her newborns from the local maternity facility to the teaching hospital for advanced care.

In a related development, Dzungwe disclosed that Mr. Shami Fidelis, a stroke patient from Ushongo Local Government Area, was recently evacuated to MOAUTH for treatment following the directive of the SEMA Executive Secretary.

The statement noted that the healthcare partnership was formalized on November 21, 2024, when Benue-SEMA signed the MoU with BSUTH, creating a referral framework through which registered IDPs and vulnerable persons receive free treatment and intensive care services.