Hundreds Of Inmates Receive Free Medical Treatment In Benue State
By Aluta News
Hundreds of inmates at the Makurdi Maximum Correctional Centre in Benue State, North Central Nigeria have benefited from the free medical outreach program of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi.
The free Medical outreach is an initiative of the Teaching Hospital aimed at addressing the medical and health needs of inmates at the Makurdi Maximum Correctional Centre.
At a ceremony to flag off the free medical program, the Chief Medical Director of Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Stephen Hwande announced that over three hundred inmates would be treated under the program designed as part of Corporate Social responsibility of the hospital.
Dr. Hwande who was represented by the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee of the Hospital, Professor Agbir Terkula Michael acknowledged the efforts of Governor Hyacinth Alia to reposition health sector in the State.
“We intend to treat over 300 inmates with common illnesses like intestinal worm infections, skin infections and so on but those we identify with severe diseases like diarrhoea, cough and chronic coughs would be referred to the Teaching Hospital for more attention and proper treatment”.
In her remarks, the Controller of Corrections, Benue State Command, Mrs. Mary Oche
expressed the command’s appreciation to management of the Teaching Hospital for the medical outreach and appealed for more humanitarian intervention in order to meet the basic needs of the inmates.
“I consider myself favoured to receive the team of medical outreach at my command. It’s a thing of pleasure and that is why I came out myself to receive the team. I do not take this gesture for granted.”
Mrs. Oche commended the State Government for allocating land for the construction of headquarters of the Correctional Service in the State as well as the donation of a new transformer at the Center.
She said, although there was no outbreak of any disease in the Correctional Centre, the intervention of the Teaching Hospital was a necessary exercise on the psychology of the inmates who are currently in confinement.
“You can’t rule out minor ailments among the inmates. Things like rashes, malaria and other diseases cannot be ruled out. We have drugs anyway, but when people come with a gesture like this, you can’t reject it because it will beef up the morale of the inmate’s because it is through these acts that they will know that people care for them”.
Voice of Nigeria Correspondent, Aloysius Umalo reports that the free Medical outreach program tagged “Alia Health-Care Initiative” equally witnessed the donation of food and non food items worth hundreds of thousands of Naira to the inmates during the free Medical outreach exercise by Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi. it because it will beef up the morale of the inmate’s because it is through these acts that they will know that people care for them”.
The free Medical outreach program tagged “Alia Health-Care Initiative” equally witnessed the donation of food and non food items worth hundreds of thousands of Naira to the inmates during the free Medical outreach exercise by Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi