By Winnie Onu, Makurdi
The Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services has intensified oversight of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state to ensure that government investments translate into improved healthcare services at the grassroots.
Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Paul Ejeh Ogwuche, stated this during a quarterly inspection of Primary Health Centre Kwararafa Quarters and Primary Health Centre Adeke in Makurdi Local Government Area.
Ogwuche, who led the state team on the inspection, said the exercise was aimed at strengthening accountability, identifying gaps and ensuring that primary healthcare facilities remained functional and accessible to residents.
He said the oversight was not intended to intimidate or witch-hunt health workers but to identify areas requiring intervention and ensure that resources provided by government were effectively utilised.
The commissioner urged health workers to take ownership of the facilities, describing them as critical points of contact between government and communities, particularly women, children and other vulnerable groups who depend largely on primary healthcare services.
He stressed that quality healthcare delivery went beyond the provision of buildings and equipment, urging workers to receive and treat patients with dignity, respect, compassion and professionalism.
Ogwuche also directed health workers to ensure that facility records accurately reflected services rendered, while challenges relating to staffing, medicines, equipment, infrastructure, water and electricity were properly documented and reported through the appropriate channels.
According to him, while government was responsible for providing the enabling environment and resources for healthcare delivery, health workers had a corresponding responsibility to deploy such resources effectively to improve services and health outcomes.
He urged the workers to justify government investments by keeping the facilities functional and ensuring that available resources were put to effective use.
The commissioner encouraged health workers to regard oversight visits as opportunities for improvement and constructive engagement, where strengths, challenges and areas requiring government intervention could be identified.
He said the ultimate objective of the state government was to build a primary healthcare system that communities could trust and where residents could access appropriate care in a safe and respectful environment.
Ogwuche commended the health workers for their commitment and urged them to remain focused on their responsibilities to the people.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Cephas Hough, also commended the management and staff of the facilities for their commitment to duty and efforts to bring healthcare services closer to residents.
Hough stressed the importance of regular supervision and constructive engagement with frontline health workers, saying such visits provide opportunities to identify challenges, strengthen systems and improve service delivery.
Also speaking, the Director of Health, Makurdi Local Government Area, Mr. William Ayagwa, commended the health workers for their dedication and encouraged them to sustain their efforts.
Ayagwa assured that government would continue to work with health facilities to address identified gaps and strengthen primary healthcare services across the state.
