NNPC hands over multi-million naira 1.5 Tesla MRI System to UNIZIK Teaching Hospital

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Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe and the CMD of NAUTH, Prof Joseph Ugboaja commissioning the project

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By Madu Obi

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Foundation Ltd, a social impact arm of the NNPC Ltd, has handed over a multi-million naira 1.5. Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging System it donated to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, NAUTH, Nnewi, describing it as a milestone achievement.

The equipment, which is critical to optimal healthcare delivery, will serve Anambra and other states in the South East geopolitical zone.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, Bashir Ojulari said the donation is a testament to the company's corporate social responsibility, which the company embarks upon, in addition to managing vast crude oil and gas resources in trust for Nigerians.

Ojulari, who was represented by the Managing Director of NNPC Foundation Ltd, Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe, said NNPC is committed to doing much more than its investments in the energy industry.

She said: "Our social investments are viable currencies that intersect our relationship between providing and managing energy for Nigerians and meeting our stakeholders’ expectations.

Nigeria's health sector is faced with a myriad of challenges, including infrastructural and equipment deficit, technology limitations, personnel attrition, funding limitations and a host of others. NNPC Limited’s intervention at NAUTH is timely, as the excruciating management of healthcare will now be eased for both personnel and patients receiving care.

Thousands of lives within Anambra State and the entire South-East geopolitical zone will be impacted meaningfully with this intervention in place, reducing time, money and other resources spent in seeking medical attention in far-flung centres, in addition to eliminating the inability to access medical care as a result of the lack of needed resources.

The installation of the MRI in NAUTH exemplifies our commitment as our intent is to build enduring institutions, sustainable systems and legacies. This intervention aligns with our conviction that access to quality healthcare underpins human dignity, longevity and economic productivity.

As we handover this 1.5 Tesla GE MRI System, I urge the stakeholders to protect the facility from neglect and ensure their sustenance for posterity".

Arukwe added that the installation of the facility has opened a new chapter for the health institution as it would significantly bridge the gap in quality and efficient healthcare delivery to Nigerians in the South-East geopolitical zone because, according to her, lack of medical equipment poses an existential threat to efficient and effective healthcare delivery in growing economies.

"With the MRI installation, we have addressed the issue of effective diagnosis and treatment, patient referrals to distant locations and the associated risks of travelling to access care at those locations, stress and psychological trauma.

Beyond these, NNPC Foundation undertook the project in alignment with its mandate to support quality healthcare delivery, and to demonstrate NNPC Limited’s commitment and responsiveness to contributing to national development.

We envisioned this project with sustainability end-to-end, so that we have not just installed the MRI system, but we have additionally ensured training to frontline personnel on the equipment deployment and utilisation for effective healthcare delivery.

As the social impact arm of NNPC Limited, the NNPC Foundation undertakes corporate social responsibility programmes under its thematic areas of Health, Education, Environment and Access to Energy. In three years, the NNPC Foundation has its footprint all over Nigeria, delivering impactful and sustainable social interventions",she stated.

She said that the Foundation has also delivered free and successful cataract surgeries to over 6,000 Nigerians, including children with congenital blindness, screened over 4,000 Nigerians for cancer, including children for childhood cancer, as a means of early detection for early treatment, carried out medical outreaches on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including maternal and childcare and provided free cardiac interventions

The Chief Medical Director of NAUTH, Professor Joseph Ugboaja described the facility as not merely the installation of equipment, but an installation of hope, precision, and excellence in healthcare delivery for the people of Anambra State and Nigeria at large.

According to him, the 1.5 Tesla MRI represents a quantum leap in the institution's diagnostic capabilities, noting that Magnetic Resonance Imaging remains the gold standard for systems, and oncological conditions.

Ugboaja said: "For too long, patients in our catchment area have had to travel long distances to access this level of diagnostic precision, often at prohibitive costs. With this installation, we eliminate that burden and brought world-class diagnostics to the doorstep of our people.

This intervention aligns seamlessly with our 10-year strategic and development plan, particularly our pillar on acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment and processes.

More importantly, it aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President and the four-point strategic pillars of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare: improving governance of the health sector, enhancing population health outcomes, unlocking the healthcare value chain, and ensuring health security.

To the GCEO and the entire management of NNPC Limited, I say: you have not just donated equipment; you have invested in human lives. You have strengthened our capacity to train the next generation of radiologists, neurologists, orthopaedic surgeons, and oncologists.

You have empowered our researchers to explore new frontiers in medical imaging. This MRI will not sit idle-it will work tirelessly, day and night, serving the sick, guiding our clinicians, and advancing our academic mission".