PDP, resident doctors criticise Okpebholo over N2.5bn donation to UBTH Paediatric Centre
The Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Association of Resident Doctors under Edo State Government Employment, ARD EDGE, have criticised the State Government over its N2.5 billion donation to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, for the construction of a paediatric centre.
DAILY POST reports that Governor Monday Okpebholo on Tuesday announced the approval of the N2.5 billion for the centre during a courtesy visit by the new Chief Medical Director of the teaching hospital, Prof. Idia Ize-Iyamu, to Government House.
Okpebholo maintained that the construction of the world-class paediatric centre, valued at N2.5 billion, would transform paediatric healthcare services for children in Edo State and beyond.
In separate reactions, PDP and AED-EDGE berated the governor for donating at a time when state-owned healthcare facilities remain in a deplorable condition.
The PDP statement, signed by Hon. Chris Nehikhare, Publicity Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of PDP Edo State, and the ARD EDGE statement, signed by Dr. Peter Evbuomwan (President) and Dr. Ernest Hills Oamen (Secretary-General), both condemned the decision.
While criticising the government for allocating such a huge sum to UBTH, a federal institution, PDP argued that the move came at a time when hospitals owned by the state were in ruins.
Nehikhare stated that Edo people did not elect a governor to act as a philanthropist to federal institutions but to fix public hospitals in the state, build capacity, and ensure access to healthcare for all.
He alleged that by neglecting this duty, the governor had shown himself unprepared, unserious, and out of touch with the realities facing Edo citizens.
He demanded a reversal of the decision, stressing that the governor should prioritise urgent investment in state-owned hospitals, which directly serve Edo residents.
The state PDP spokesman further remarked that Edo State deserved working hospitals, not political monuments built with an eye on the 2027 elections.
“This misadventure is not only reckless but a glaring example of the 2027 election fixation and desperate eye-service politics that defined Okpebholo’s almost one year in office.
“Edo people are being made to suffer while their resources are squandered on federal facilities that are not the primary responsibility of the state.
“We align with the position of the Association of Resident Doctors under Edo State Government Employment, who have openly decried this misplaced priority. Their statement exposes what Edo people already know, that our hospitals are collapsing, yet the governor prefers to chase cheap popularity.
“Stella Obasanjo Hospital, rebuilt with state funds, remains under lock and key, with less than a tenth in use. Why is N2.5 billion not channelled here?
“Edo Specialist Hospital continues to cry for expansion and adequate support, but has been ignored by a government obsessed with pleasing political benefactors and seeking headlines.
“The General Hospital in Abudu is no more than a mere patent medicine store, and yet, N2.5 billion, that belongs to ‘Odogwu is given to Caesar.’
“Meanwhile, Edo doctors, who only recently suspended their strike, still have their legitimate demands unmet. Rather than engage with them and strengthen Edo’s health system, the Governor is busy ‘dashing’ billions to a federal hospital, in a display of sycophancy and ill-thought-out politicking. This is not leadership. This is a reckless waste. And Edo people will not forget,” he said.
On its part, ARD EDGE maintained that this is the right time for the state government to extend a similar level of commitment and funding to its own health facilities.
The president of the association, Dr Peter Evbuomwan, and the Secretary-General, Dr Ernest Hills Oamen, noted that state-owned health facilities remain in dire need of attention, both in terms of infrastructure and the welfare of healthcare workers.
“It is important to note that Stella Obasanjo Hospital, which was extensively renovated by the previous administration, is yet to be fully operational. At present, only the former COVID-19 isolation centre, barely a fraction of the facility, is in use, while the rest of the structure remains idle.
“In addition, the Central Hospital Benin, previously displaced and fragmented by previous administration(s), is yet to receive the investment it deserves. Rather than restoring it to its rightful capacity, services are being moved to Oredo Primary Health Centre, which is grossly inadequate for the needs and patient load of a general hospital of that calibre.
“The Edo Specialist Hospital, which should serve as a flagship healthcare institution, continues to seek expansion and improvement but has yet to receive the necessary support to achieve its full potential.
“We also recall that despite the recently suspended industrial action by ARD EDGE, the key welfare and structural issues presented to the government remain unresolved.
“This new allocation to a federal institution reinforces our belief that the Edo State Government has the capacity to address these pressing concerns affecting state-owned facilities and healthcare workers under its employment.
“Charity, as the saying goes, begins at home. While we support the growth of UBTH, we firmly believe that the people of Edo State will gain even greater value when our primary and secondary health facilities are revitalised and our workforce is adequately supported,” the association stated.
The association therefore urged Governor Okpebholo to take immediate steps to replicate such bold investments within the state health system.
ARD EDGE argued that directing similar resources towards state-owned hospitals would not only improve access to quality healthcare for Edo people but also strengthen the overall health system for the benefit of all.
PDP, resident doctors criticise Okpebholo over N2.5bn donation to UBTH Paediatric Centre
