COVID-19: More States To Get NNPC’s Medical Infrastructure Support
AMINA HUSSAINI, Abuja
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) has assured state governments that have not benefited from its intervention in the fight against Covid-19 to expect the support soon.
The Corporation and her partners have donated medical infrastructure to some states including Lagos, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the fight the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The corporation’s Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Thisday Dome COVID-19 Testing, Tracing and Treatment Centre equipped by Industry stakeholders and other corporate bodies among which are the NNPC, Sahara Group, CA-COVID and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), said its coordinated support would eventually reach the remaining states as they are all parts of the 200 million shareholders of the corporation.
The center is fitted with foundation wards and ICU centre complete with ventilators, X-ray and dialysis, the facility’s testing laboratory is capable of testing 1000 patients per day, accommodating about 360 patients with potential to hold up to 500 patients, with further needs.
“NNPC is owned by the 200million Nigerians. We have a primary responsibility to stand with the country and our citizens at any time to ensure that we fight COVID-19 together. We are doing this with the support and the guidance of the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, pulling together the entire Oil and Gas Industry to bring support to the country,” Mallam Kyari quipped.
He stated that in order to have a coordinated approach in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, the NNPC, as the leader in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry, brought all her partners together to deliver medical consumables and infrastructure.
“One of the many things we did is to bring our partners on the table and one of our great partners is the Sahara Group with whom we have many businesses. We have Downstream businesses and we also have Upstream businesses with the group. It is common knowledge that for every Oil and Gas business in Nigeria, NNPC is a partner, either as a direct equity holder or as a cash-contributing partner. Therefore, everything done in this Industry is with the support of the NNPC,” the NNPC GMD enthused.
The NNPC GMD stated that NNPC and all her partners would set up permanent healthcare structures in all the six geo-political zones, adding that the aim was for the facilities to outlive the COVID-19 period and be of great use to Nigerians after the pandemic.
Kyari averred that the Corporation had also upgraded one of her medical facilities in Abuja to receive and treat COVID-19 patients, revealing that it equally supported the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital with facilities that would enable her treat COVID-19 patients.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Sahara Group, Tope Shonubi, applauded the NNPC for the support extended to the group in providing medical equipment to humanity in the face of the global pandemic.
Inaugurating the Centre, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce, Boss Mustapha, applauded the NNPC and all her partners for supporting the Federal Government in the fight against COVID-19.
The facility is a one-stop shop that could deliver Coronavirus report of 200 samples collected within 24 hours, and boasts of an Intensive Care Unit, Ventilators and a 54Gene laboratory.
Also speaking, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, said the inability to accurately predict the extent to which the coronavirus could spread, and how long it would last, requires a sufficient capacity within the health system to contain its spread, state by state, city by city and preserve the lives of vulnerable Nigerians.
“This requires that we all come together to support the work of the Presidential Task Force in its determination to save lives and stem the pandemic. It is in this regard that I would like to commend the Nigerian private sector, who have come together under the Coalition against COVID-19 (CA -COVID) to support the government, by raising funds to procure needed Isolation Centres, medical equipment, etc. So far, the CA-COVID-19 has raised up to N27 Billion to fund these initiatives. These donations are being used to build well-equipped isolation centres across the 36 states of the federation.
“The THISDAY Dome Testing, Tracing and Treatment Centre being launched today represents a part of the support being provided by the CA – COVID alliance. These measures will result in the addition of close to 4,000 hospital beds across the country and will serve as a significant boost towards our efforts at containing the spread of COVID-19.
CACOVID has equipped and handed over Isolation Centres in Rivers, Enugu, Kwara, Ondo, and Borno States. It is expected that all other Isolation Centres will be handed over in other States of the country by May 23, 2020”.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire said “This is a fully comprehensive medical treatment centre, professionally designed and equipped and repurposed to suit the testing demands of the day. As the president will say even if it turns out that we don’t need it. We are thankful and grateful to have it.
The minister also noted the availability of the THISDAY 98-room hotel and conference centre next door for medical staff for six months.
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