Expired drugs worth over one hundred million naira at the Muhammadu Buhari Mother and Child Hospital, Makurdi, are to be publicly destroyed by the management of Benue State University Teaching Hospital, BSUTH.
Chief Medical Director, BSUTH, Dr Stephen Hwande, made this known to newsmen after a facility tour of the hospital preparatory to commencement of services.
Hwande, who said the public destruction of the expired medicines was necessary for him to start on a clean slate, expressed worry that drugs of such value would be allowed to expire in a state that has so many IDPs and others that needed them.
He expressed appreciation to Governor Hyacinth Alia for his interest in the health and wellbeing of Benue people, pointing out that his proactiveness was the reason why the Federal Government did not take back the hospital from the State Government due to under-utilization.
The Chief Medical Director said with full commencement, services such as IVF, out patients, health insurance, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology as well as mild surgery would be offered to the people at a rate that could be afforded by the common man. He said treatment for children under the age of five would be free.
He said even though the primary role of the Teaching Hospital is at the tertiary level, the hospital would still use enough manpower it has to supervise and assist secondary and primary health facilities across the state to improve the healthcare delivery.
The Coordinator of the Hospital, Dr Luper Uva stated that although the hospital was built for only women and children, the new Chief Medical Director thought it wise to add a general outpatients department to enable men to also get treatment at the facility.
