By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
From the Medical Director of the Benue State Teaching Hospital, Dr. Stephen Hwande, came a disclosure at the weekend, that the
Hospital now offers complete IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) services for as low as N700,000 from a hitherto cost of N5 million.
This subsidized price of the IVF programme in Benue State, according to Dr Hwande, has started to attract patients who would, ordinarily have coughed out several millions in other parts for the same fertility treatment, to the State popularly known as the food basket of the nation.
The Medical Director of the BSUTH revealed this at the hospital’s Therapeutic Centre for Children with Special Needs in Makurdi during an inspection tour by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors in conjunction with Presidential Media Team.
The team, led by Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, has been in Benue State since Wednesday, where its members were conducted round completed and ongoing federal and state projects across the State by its Deputy Governor, Dr Sam Ode.
Dr Hwande, proudly, said the hospital now ranks among the few state-owned teaching hospitals offering comprehensive assisted reproductive services in Nigeria.
His words, “I think it is the second or third state teaching hospital in this country that carries out complete fertility services. Everything required for fertility treatment is available here.
“Patients no longer need to travel elsewhere for these specialised services”, he stressed.
Dr Hwande explained that the centre provides surrogacy, sperm banking, embryo banking, egg banking, and sex selection under one facility among others.
The cheap and affordable nature of the programme, according to him, has made Makurdi, the state capital, an attractive destination for couples seeking fertility treatment.
According to him, “If you want to do IVF in Abuja, there is no way you will not spend close to N4 million or N5 million. But here, the service is highly subsidised.
“You pay only about N700,000, buy a few drugs and receive the same treatment.”
This development, Dr Hwande said, has led to many residents of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to now find it cheaper to travel to Makurdi than undergo treatment in Abuja.
He revealed that over N20 billion had been invested in upgrading facilities, equipment, manpower and specialist services in the hospital within the three years of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration.
These investments, according to him, have transformed healthcare delivery in the State through modern infrastructure, improved equipment, and expanded specialist services.
He equally said that the hospital had established a molecular laboratory equipped with three PCR machines for infectious disease diagnosis and management.
The laboratory, he said, is supported by an isolation centre capable of diagnosing and treating diseases such as Lassa fever.
Dr Hwande disclosed that a N2 billion cancer centre under construction is expected to serve patients from Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa, and Kogi States, where similar facilities are unavailable.
According to him, “None of these neighbouring states has a cancer centre. When completed, this facility will serve the entire region.”
Stressing further, he said that hospital has similarly established a specialised therapeutic centre for children with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other developmental disorders.
Dr Hwande revealed that the centre brings together paediatricians, psychologists, cardiologists, therapists, and specially trained teachers to provide multidisciplinary care.
He said the hospital has expanded postgraduate training for specialist nurses and allied health professionals with a view to reducing over dependence on institutions outside the state.
He disclosed further that the workforce at the BSUTH has increased from about 800 employees to nearly 3,000 to meet the demands of a modern teaching hospital.
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