The Benue State Government has expressed its determination to henceforth bear the cost of treatment of snakebite victims across the 23 local government areas of the state.
Governor Ortom, who gave the hint on Sunday at St Theresa Catholic Church Makurdi during a fundraising appeal for interventions in schools and hospitals under the Resource and Planning Commission of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, noted that the idea would help to reduce the burden of the cost of treatment on victims.
Ortom had before coming on board as a governor offered a platform for snakebites victims to be treated free of charge, a gesture he continued to sustain until the latest announcement.
The governor applauded the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi, Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, for the intervention initiative even as he recalled that his partnership with the Bishop Murray Hospital Makurdi for the treatment of snakebites patients had saved many lives with an attendant huge cost, necessitating the decision for the state government to take over the treatment of snakebite victims.
He further acknowledged the prudence in the management of funds by the Church, stressing that Bishop Murray Hospital has the expertise in the treatment of snakebites and would do well when given the desired support.
Ortom described the Resource and Planning Commission established by the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi as a noble initiative that should be supported by all.
Earlier, in a sermon, the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Reverend Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, described envy and jealousy as a storm in the souls of humans.
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