By Ben Atonko
The architects who designed the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi might have done a marvelous job by siting the teaching hospital where it is.
The design and placement of structures is splendid.
There is, however one more thing they could do: redesign the section overlooking the Benue River into a tourist haven.
If properly done, it will not only add to the beauty of the place, it will also offer psychological and emotional appeal to patients.
Considering that resources are scarce, those who control huge resources can be beckoned to invest here.
Management can turn the waterfront into a semi-tourist site.
Sightseeing itself might become another form of therapy.
Patients and their relatives can take boat rides, sit by the river and find calm away from the wards.
The waterfront is a big asset the hospital can explore to its advantage.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Terungwa Hwande has achieved a lot, especially in resurrecting the facility from its comatose state.
Ensuring that patients receive the care they deserve has earned him wide acclamation.
He has kept the BSUTH SERVICOM Unit efficient.
At every desk, a SERVICOM officer, easily identified by a reflective jacket, stands to ensure staff do what they are supposed to do.
The jacket carries the inscription:
“SERVICOM, BSUTH
Any Challenge?
Talk to me!”
Those who flout the rules are punished summarily.
Indeed, “The fear of Hwande is the beginning of wisdom in BSUTH” has become a common saying.
By this, complaints about neglect have reduced drastically.
Apart from government, well-to-do Benue indigenes can also consider putting down resources to help this wonderful institution.
It should not only be about taking from the system.
Those who have held high public offices and benefitted a lot should give back to society, instead of turning the political space into a battlefield.
It is sad that many big names in Benue State cannot point to anything they have done for this poor agrarian state.
For many, it is only about themselves, their families and their in-laws. It is a pity.
The teaching hospital is still bedeviled by incessant lockouts by medical personnel.
As I write, Resident Doctors have downed tools over unpaid allowances.
The Benue State Government must do better by hearkening to the cry of the workers.
Some of their demands are genuine.
For a tertiary medical facility like this, standards cannot be compromised at any rate.
More so, patient turnout is large, indicating that there is a lot of work to do.
Prof. Orkurga Malu is the chairman of the board of the hospital.
As a renowned and experienced expert, he should know what buttons to press to get the hospital to stand properly.
He should also be able to rally philanthropists to invest in the place.
Adding tourist facilities and services to BSUTH will be a remarkable way of not just shoring up revenue but also placing the hospital on the global map of medical tourism.
Atonko writes from Makurdi
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