On Monday, Jacinto Ali, the Governor of Benue State, announced the revival of a doctor training program aimed at boosting the state’s health sector. The program, known as “medical voucher,” will sponsor medical students in return for their services in public hospitals in Benue. The scheme was previously scrapped by former Governor Samuel Ortom’s administration in 2017, which caused a severe shortage of doctors in Benue’s general hospitals. Under the revitalized program, medical students will receive financial support from the state government while in college and will be required to serve for at least two years after graduating.
During an induction ceremony for 41 medical graduates at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Benue State University, Makurdi, Mr. Ali announced the immediate commencement of the bonus scheme for doctors. The Governor’s directive came after a request by the president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in the state, Usha Anenga, to reinstate the program to address the deteriorating health system. Currently, some hospitals in the state have only two doctors caring for hundreds of thousands of patients.
Mr. Ali also highlighted some interventions he had made shortly after assuming office on May 29 to address pressing issues in the state’s health sector. This includes the payment of a monthly allowance of N100,000 to doctors undergoing the one-year mandatory program of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Benue.
He also paid this year’s residency training fees for the doctors. Additionally, Mr. Ali addressed complaints from academics about a shortfall in their salaries by fixing the university salary anomaly. He concluded his speech by urging all doctors to stay and promising to do everything he can to provide better working conditions.
During the induction ceremony for new doctors, the governor emphasized the importance of the Hippocratic oath and urged them to serve humanity with dedication.
He also recognized the vital role that the university plays in the growth of Benue and encouraged academics to enhance training and research. The Rector of the university, Tor Iorapuu, advised the new doctors to be good ambassadors of the institution. He commended the governor for attending the ceremony and praised the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) for increasing the university’s medical faculty admission quota.
The vice-chancellor praised the new doctors for their resilience and academic journey. The MDCN Registrar, Tajudeen Sanusi, urged the doctors to uphold ethical values and warned of disciplinary action for mistakes. Chancellor Chia Saalu implored doctors to show integrity and responsibility in their work and not forget their humanity when treating patients. The ceremony recognized two female inductees as the best graduating students in surgery and the governor was awarded for his interventions in the state’s health sector. The university has now inducted a total of 367 doctors since its first group of medical graduates in 2015.