PHC revitalization projects:  Benue Govt Sets June For Completion, Handover Of Facilities

From Gabriel Agbo, Makurdi 

Benue State Government has called on contractos handling the ongoing revitalisation of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state to ensure the timely completion and handover of the facilities by June 2026.

The call was made during Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services  strategic review meeting with the affected contractors, Friday.

The meeting was a follow-up to an earlier engagement held on April 28, 2026 and brought together officials of the Ministry, the Benue State Primary Health Care Board, project managers, development partners, and contractors involved in the healthcare infrastructure programme.

The session focused on assessing the progress of work, addressing implementation challenges, and finalising handover schedules for completed facilities.

Addressing the meeting,  Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Paul Ejeh Ogwuche, applauded the contractors for the progress made so far and reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to delivering quality healthcare infrastructure across Benue.

“The revitalisation programme remains a critical component of the healthcare transformation agenda of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration,” Ogwuche said.

“We are committed to ensuring the successful completion of all healthcare infrastructure projects aimed at improving access to quality healthcare services for our people,” he added.

According to the project implementation update presented at the meeting, the number of PHCs completed and ready for commissioning has increased from about 70 facilities reported during the last review to 80 completed centres, marking significant progress in the state’s healthcare development efforts.

Stakeholders at the meeting agreed to accelerate work on the remaining facilities to ensure their completion and handover before the end of June 2026.

Project managers stressed that contractors must adhere strictly to agreed timelines, noting that delays could affect access to retention funds and other contractual obligations.

They underscored the importance of meeting deadlines, saying the timely completion and transfer of the facilities would allow government and healthcare authorities to commence full utilisation of the upgraded centres.

“The successful handover of these facilities is essential to enable government and healthcare managers put them into immediate use for improved service delivery.”

Contractors were subsequently assigned handover dates between June 10 and June 25, 2026, based on their respective project lots.

During discussions, some contractors cited security challenges in certain project locations as factors slowing implementation.

Despite these concerns, participants agreed that every effort must be made to complete the outstanding works within the stipulated timeframe.

The Executive Secretary, ES, of the Benue State Primary Health Care Board emphasised the importance of the projects to healthcare delivery, particularly in rural communities.

“Timely completion of these facilities is critical to expanding access to essential healthcare services, especially for rural and underserved populations. 

Any delay in project delivery has a direct impact on service provision and the broader goal of strengthening primary healthcare systems across the state,” the ES said.

Participants also reviewed measures for addressing outstanding technical and operational challenges and agreed that enhanced collaboration, effective communication, and continuous monitoring would be necessary to achieve the project’s objectives.

The meeting ended with contractors, project supervisors, and government officials reaffirming their commitment to completing and handing over all outstanding facilities within schedule.

Stakeholders described the PHC revitalisation programme as a major investment in the health and well-being of Benue residents and a key component of Governor Alia’s efforts to build a resilient, accessible, and people-centred healthcare system.

The Ministry of Health and Human Services also reiterated its commitment to ensuring that completed facilities are promptly handed over, equipped, and put to use to improve healthcare outcomes across the state.