Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in partnership with Seplat Petroleum Development Company has commenced the construction of a permanent 150-200 Bed Emergency and Infectious Diseases Medical Centre at Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH) Orlu, Imo State.
The facility is one of the 12 hospitals which the NNPC intends to construct across the six geo-political zones in the country.
Disclosing this on Saturday in Owerri, the state capital, the NNPC Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, said the NNPC in collaboration with its partners embarked on the $1.2million project to strengthen the country’s national healthcare delivery facilities in combating the ravaging Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sustainably.
He said the construction of the Emergency & Infectious Diseases medical facility was also expected to support the state’s efforts in its fight against the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide a Centre for the treatment of all forms of infectious diseases.
He disclosed that the state government provided a piece of land at the state university teaching hospital for the construction of the medical infrastructure to aid its fight against the novel Coronavirus pandemic, which is currently ravaging the world, with Nigeria and Imo State also impacted.
Kyari, who laid the foundation for the project yesterday in Orlu, the project is billed to be completed within 18 months.
He noted that strengthening the healthcare infrastructure became inevitable and expedient in the foreground of the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 on the Nigerian economy and human lives.
Also in his address at the groundbreaking for the health facility, Chairman of SEPLAT, Dr. Ambrose Orjiako, said when completed, the project is expected to gulp $1.2million.
“It is anticipated that the medical centre will provide succour to the people of the state.”
He added that the NNPC/Seplat joint venture had at the onset of the outbreak of the pandemic donated medical items to Imo State Government in support of the state’s efforts to fight the Coronavirus pandemic.
“As a responsible and responsive corporate organisation, SEPLAT also have helped to strengthen supplies in the hospitals; we have also made sure that the communities received certain palliatives with respect to food security during this difficult period; in addition to supplying them with essential sanitation and hygiene materials,” he said.
