The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Sunday handed over medical equipment to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospitals in Gwagwalada, the Federal Capital Territory.
According to a statement by the corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, this was done to intensify the fight against Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the country.
The equipment handed over to the hospital includes the following:
An oxygen generating plant; one brand new ambulance, six NNPC operational ambulance vehicles, one big ventilator, one small ventilator, patient monitor, hospital beds, bedside cupboards, overtop tables, air conditioners, fully automated 5-part hematology analyzer and semi-automated chemistry analyzer.
Other items are alert blood culture analyzer, Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) device, pro-express Samsung printer, binocular microscope, tabletop centrifuge, and pipettes.
Speaking at the event, Mallam Kyari said: “Government cannot do this alone. Health systems, the world over, are getting overwhelmed. Countries with stronger health systems are struggling to contain the pandemic.
“In light of this, the Oil and Gas Industry is collaborating to strengthen Nigeria’s response to the pandemic.
“These efforts, coordinated by the Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, will support Government agencies in providing urgently needed resources both human and materials required to curb this pandemic.”
Kyari added that the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Health, had mapped out measures to respond adequately to the outbreak of the disease in Nigeria, saying a multi-sectoral team, led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), was at the forefront of the effort.
Mallam Kyari commended the Honourable Minister of Health and the entire Ministry, the NCDC, the Public Health Department (PHD) of FCT, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital and the entire medical community in the Country for their efforts in combating the virus, stressing that the NNPC remained grateful for their dedication in safeguarding the lives of Nigerians.
“It is obvious that to fight this menace, we all have to collaborate to ensure that Nigeria defeats this virus,” Mallam Kyari appealed.
On his part, the Medical Director of NNPC Medical Services Limited, Dr. Mohammed Zango, said the corporation as a responsible organization, was making the donation to meet the urgent medical needs of the isolation center in Abuja and to make the center more effective in delivering on its mandate.
