Otukpo, Benue State. His Royal Majesty, the Och’Idoma and Paramount Ruler of the Idoma Kingdom, has placed a direct and urgent call on the Federal Government to significantly scale up its intervention, funding, and project acceleration at the Federal University Health Teaching Hospital, FUHTH, Otukpo, to enable the institution to fully meet the standards expected of a modern teaching hospital.
The royal appeal forms the core of a comprehensive statement issued following a Royal visit to the facility, during which the monarch, accompanied by palace officials and hosted by the Chief Medical Director, Professor Teddy Agida, conducted a thorough tour of wards, diagnostic units, equipment, and ongoing construction projects. The visit exposed both notable progress and substantial infrastructural shortfalls that continue to limit the hospital’s ability to deliver high quality specialist healthcare and provide effective clinical training for medical students.
“I acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria in establishing and supporting this noble institution,” the Och’Idoma stated. “Nonetheless, given the increasing patient load and expanded academic mandate, more federal intervention, funding, and accelerated completion of key projects are urgently required to meet teaching hospital standards.”
While emphasizing the primacy of federal responsibility, the Paramount Ruler also commended the patriotic initiative of Chief Godwin Obla, SAN, a distinguished son of the Idoma Kingdom, who has remained a leading private supporter of the hospital’s development. The monarch noted that beyond personally funding the construction of the new Amenity, VIP Ward, Chief Obla had earlier financed the establishment of the Kidney Centre at FUHTH, which is now fully functional and widely adjudged as one of the best renal care facilities in the country.
He described these interventions, together with other renovation and construction efforts supported through Obla’s foundation, as noble, patriotic, and worthy of emulation, underscoring the vital role of individual and private sector contributions in bridging immediate gaps.
The Och’Idoma then extended a passionate appeal to philanthropists, corporate bodies, NGOs, development partners, faith based organizations, and especially Idoma sons and daughters both at home and in the Diaspora to reach out to the university teaching hospital and provide tangible support. He outlined clear channels for contribution, including the construction of wards and specialised units, donation of medical equipment and consumables, sponsorship of laboratories, hostels, and other facilities, as well as support for capacity building, research, and staff training.
Detailing the critical upgrades needed to bring FUHTH to acceptable teaching hospital benchmarks, the monarch highlighted four major areas.
In the area of clinical and patient care, he called for additional specialised wards including medical, surgical, paediatric, orthopaedic, oncology, and isolation units, a fully equipped Accident and Emergency Unit, Intensive Care Units and High Dependency Units, modern maternity and neonatal facilities including NICU and Special Care Baby Units, and a dialysis and renal care unit to reduce congestion, improve emergency response, enhance critical care, and support specialist training.
On diagnostic and therapeutic capacity, His Royal Majesty advocated for standard laboratories in haematology, microbiology, histopathology, and molecular diagnostics, alongside advanced imaging equipment such as CT scan, MRI, digital X ray, ultrasound, and mammography. He also stressed the need for well equipped operating theatres and a physiotherapy and rehabilitation centre to support safe surgical interventions, recovery services, disability management, and allied health education.
The monarch further underscored the academic essence of FUHTH, calling for clinical skills and simulation laboratories, lecture theatres and seminar rooms, a medical library with an e learning centre, and residency and call rooms for doctors and nurses to ensure hands on training, academic excellence, research advancement, and staff welfare.
Supporting infrastructure was also identified as critical, with calls for reliable power supply through solar systems and backup generators, functional water supply and waste management systems, hospital information and electronic medical record platforms, staff quarters and student hostels, and a secure environment with improved access roads to guarantee uninterrupted operations, infection control, efficient management, and retention of skilled personnel.
“These facilities are essential not only for quality patient care but also for the effective training of future doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals,” the Och’Idoma asserted. “A teaching hospital must be fully equipped to meet academic, clinical, and research demands.”
Concluding with a powerful call to collective responsibility, the monarch declared, “Health is a collective responsibility. The strength of a people is measured by how they care for the sick, train the young, and prepare for the future. Let us therefore build together, serve together, and leave a lasting legacy through a well equipped, world class teaching hospital in Otukpo.”
The royal intervention positions FUHTH as a strategic national asset with the potential to transform healthcare delivery in Benue South Senatorial District and beyond, reduce outbound medical tourism, and strengthen Nigeria’s pipeline of trained health professionals. With the Och’Idoma’s commendation of Chief Godwin Obla serving as an inspiring example, attention now turns to the Federal Government for accelerated action and to philanthropists and the wider Idoma community for sustained partnership to realise this vision.
