By Uche Nnorom
The World Health Organisation has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery in Benue State with the donation of essential medicines and emergency medical supplies to improve the state’s preparedness for disease outbreaks.
The WHO Benue State Coordinator, Dr Mohammed Abdulkarim Abdullahi, disclosed this on Thursday during the presentation of the medical commodities to the Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services in Makurdi.
He said the intervention was aimed at enhancing the state’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks such as cholera, Lassa fever and other epidemic-prone diseases.
The donated items include essential medicines, intravenous fluids, oral rehydration salts, infection prevention and control supplies, medical consumables and other emergency response materials.
Abdulkarim explained that the commodities would strengthen healthcare delivery in vulnerable communities, particularly Internally Displaced Persons camps and host communities where overcrowding and poor water, sanitation and hygiene conditions increase the risk of communicable diseases.
According to him, the intervention will improve emergency preparedness, strengthen case management, reinforce infection prevention and control measures and build the resilience of the state’s health system.
Receiving the items, the Benue State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ejeh Ogwuche, described the donation as a demonstration of the confidence reposed in the ministry and the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia by the World Health Organisation and other development partners.
Ogwuche said the support reflected the state government’s commitment to transparency, accountability, collaboration and reforms aimed at improving healthcare delivery across Benue.
He added that the donation was more than the provision of medicines, describing it as a strong endorsement of the government’s efforts to transform the health sector through strategic partnerships and responsible leadership.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to the WHO for its sustained partnership and support, describing the organisation as one of Benue’s most dependable allies in advancing public health.
He assured the organisation that the donated commodities would be managed transparently and distributed promptly to health facilities and communities where they are most needed.
Ogwuche also reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to deepening collaboration with development partners to advance Universal Health Coverage in line with the health sector transformation agenda of the Alia administration.
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