Farmers/herdsmen crisis: Taraba govt yet to pay FMC for services to victims

The Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Makurdi, Dr. Peteru Inunduh, has disclosed that the internally generated revenues of the centre have reduced drastically.
Inunduh, who made the disclosure at the weekend, explained that this was due to the refusal of the Taraba State government to pay for the services rendered to it by the centre in the treatment of victims of herdsmen/farmers’ clashes in the state.
He said over 42,000 victims of the farmers/herdsmen crises in Benue and the states received treatment at the FMC, with a huge sum of money spent in treating them.
He said that the Taraba State government alone owed the centre more than N3 million incurred on the treatment of 35 victims of Wukari/Fulani herdsmen crisis sent to the centre.
According to him, the Benue farmers/Fulani herdsmen crisis has substantially contributed to erring the financial strength of the centre, as the number of patients being admitted for various illnesses and injuries has reduced.
Speaking on the other challenges of the centre, Dr Inunduh explained that it included staff in the clinical services, adding that the recruitment of staff, even cleaners, to fill the existing vacancies, were done following due process.
He also dismissed speculations in Benue State that there was an ongoing staff replacement at the centre, urging natives to disregard such speculations as he lacked powers to employ in the hospital.