By joshua Senate holds Public Hearing on Senator Abba Moro’s bill
The Nigerian Senate has held a Public Hearing on the Bill for an Act to amend the University Teaching Hospitals (Reconstitution of Boards, Etc) to provide additional Teaching Hospital: The Federal University of Health Sciences Otukpo Teaching Hospital, Otukpo, Benue State, and for other related matters Bill, 2025, being sponsored by the senator representing Benue South Senatorial District and Senate Minority Leader, Comrade Abba Moro, PhD.
The bill, which is seeking a legal backing for the Federal University of Health Sciences Otukpo Teaching Hospital, passed First and Second Readings on October 8, 2025 and November 18, 2025 respectively, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Health (Secondary & Tertiary) for further legislative actions.
Addressing the stakeholders that gathered for the public hearing, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, commended Senator Moro for sponsoring the bill. He said the health of Nigerians was of outermost priority. He appreciated the committee for a speedy action on the bill and assured of the senate’s support for its assent by the president.
In his speech, Senator Moro said he felt honoured to sponsor the bill. He thanked the senate for the accelerated hearing of the bill and the prompt Public Hearing.
He was quoted in a report by his media aide, Emmanuel Eche’Ofun John, as saying:
“I am honoured to sponsor the Bill for the Establishment of the University of Health Sciences Otukpo Teaching Hospital. This bill is not merely about creating another federal institution, it is about strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system, advancing medical education, expanding research, and improving access to quality healthcare services for millions of Nigerians, particularly the people of Benue South Senatorial District.
“The establishment of a teaching hospital is a natural and necessary progression for a specialised institution such as the University of Health Sciences, Otukpo. A university dedicated to health sciences cannot effectively fulfil its mandate without a fully functional teaching hospital that integrates learning, clinical practice, research, innovation, and community service.
“Such an institution will provide the environment for the training of medical students, resident doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, and other healthcare professionals while simultaneously delivering specialised healthcare services to the public.
“Beyond its educational mandate, the teaching hospital significantly reduces the burden on existing tertiary health institutions by bringing advanced healthcare services closer to the people.
“It will improve emergency response capacity, create employment opportunities, attract investments in healthcare infrastructure, stimulate research collaborations and contribute meaningfully to national health security.”
Senator Moro stated that healthcare was one of the greatest investments any nation could make. He said institutions such as the teaching hospitals were not expenses but investments in human capital, economic productivity, scientific advancement, and national development.
“Every successful healthcare system is built upon strong institutions that combine education, research, and quality clinical care,” he added.
While urging the committee to give favourable consideration to the bill, the senator proposed that the bill should expressly provide for the establishment of a Department of Neuropsychiatry as one of the core clinical departments of the teaching hospital, with appropriate institutional recognition and headed by a substantive Head of Department.
“A dedicated department of Neuropsychiatry will ensure that mental healthcare receives the institutional prominence it deserves. It will facilitate the training of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and other mental health professionals. It will promote research into neurological and psychiatric disorders, strengthen community mental health interventions, and support multidisciplinary management of patients suffering from mental and behavioural illnesses,” he added.
The senator appreciated all the stakeholders who took out time to participate in the public hearing. He said their observations, recommendations, and professional insights would undoubtedly enrich the legislative process and help produce a robust legal framework for the teaching hospital.
“With our collective support, the University of Health Sciences Otukpo Teaching Hospital will become a centre of excellence in medical education, research, specialised healthcare delivery and innovation – not only for Benue State but for Nigeria as a whole,” he stated.
Earlier in her speech, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Health (Secondary & Tertiary), Senator Dr. Ipalibo Henry Banigo, said the Public Hearing was organised to give Nigerians the opportunity to make inputs in the bill. She said the report of the committee, viz a viz the Public Hearing, would be presented to the senate for further legislative action on the bill, even as there was no dissenting voice to the establishment of the teaching hospital.
Notable Nigerians who attended the public hearing included members of the Senate Committee on Health (Secondary & Tertiary); The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa; The Honourable Minister of State for Health, Dr. Adeleke Salami; The CMD, Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, Otukpo, Prof. Teddy E. Agida; The President, Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Afekhide Ernest Omoti; amongst others.