By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
At least 40 new federal medical centres are to be established across communities in the country if proposals before the Senate are passed into law.
The Senate Committee on Health and Tertiary Institutions, chaired by Sen. Ipalibo Banigo, is holding a public hearing on 40 bills, including an amendment to the Federal Medical Centre Act of 2022, to provide tertiary healthcare to Nigerians.
Communities in many states, including Taraba, Oyo, Bayelsa, Benue, Gombe, Kebbi and Kwara will benefit from the facilities.
In one of the submissions, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes Commission, Sen. Emmanuel Udende (Benue North-East), made a strong case for the establishment of the Federal Medical Centre, Adikpo, a border town with the Republic of Cameroon that has no sufficient medical facilities.
The people of Adikpo, which is in Kwande Local Government of Benue State, will have to travel 300 kilometers to Makurdi, the state capital, to access tertiary health care during emergencies, according to the lawmaker.
Udende said one of the consequences of travelling such a long distance was that many healthcare seekers either lose their lives during emergencies or to take the equally costly option of going to Cameroon with the attendant frustration and huge bills.
Udende said the strategic location of the health facility would also provide potential economic benefits of trade and cultural exchange, giving its proximity to the Republic of Cameroon.
The lawmaker maintained that the Federal Medical Centre would place Adikpo on the path of steady investment on infrastructure, healthcare and education, expressing concerns that the absence of such institutions on the side of the Nigerian border town had grossly caused underdevelopment.
He urged the committee to approve the proposals to save the lives of the people and bring development to the area.
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who was represented by Sen. Lola Ashiru at the event, assured that the Adikpo FMC bill and 39 others would be passed as a duty placed on the shoulders of lawmakers to ensure healthcare availability and accessibility to Nigerians.
He also said the moment called for courage with the view to arresting the rate of medical practitioners leaving the country.
Akpabio emphasised the need to transform the health sector by moving away from lamentations and facing the reality of the challenges of delivering medical services in the country.