Senate committee chairman on Anti-corruption and Financial Crimes, Distinguished Senator Emmanuel Memga Udende Udende has said his sponsorship of the bill to establish the Federal Medical Center Adikpo in Kwande Local Government of Benue state is to bring medical care closer to the people especially in times of emergency.

Senator Udende stated this at the one day public hearing on the amendment of the Federal Medical Centres Act of 2022 involving about 40 bills.

The Benue North East Senator said at the public hearing of the bill that the distance between Adikpo, a Nigerian boarder town and Makurdi the state capital with a Federal Medical Centre covers over 300 kilometer and places patients who need medical care on a danger line.

He explained that the people of Kwande who share boundaries with Republic of Cameroon most often are required to seek medical attention outside their country and in most cases are frustrated or cannot afford the cost.

According to Senator Udende, the strategic location of the health facility will provide potential economic benefits of trade and cultural exchange giving its proximity to the Republic of Cameroon.

He maintained that the Federal Medical Centre will place Adikpo on the path of steady investment in infrastructure, healthcare and education, expressing concerns that the absence of such institutions on the side of the Nigerian boarder town has grossly caused underdevelopment, urging the Senate committee on Health and Tertiary Institutions to approve the proposals in order to save the lives of the people and bring development to the people.

Earlier in his address, Senator Lola Ashiru who represented Senate President Godswill Akpabio assured that the bills will all be passed into law as a duty placed on the shoulders of lawmakers to ensure access to healthcare and availability.

Senator Ashiru emphasised the need to arrest the rate of medical practitioners leaving the country.

He emphasized the need to transform the health sector and move away from lamentations and face the reality of the challenges in the health sector.

According to Senator Ashiru, the current government is determined to ensure that no life is lost on account of lack of quality health facilities.