Star Deepwater, other Agbami parties pull resources to fight against TB in Nigeria
One of the leading subsidiaries of leading oil and gas giant, Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited and other Agbami parties including Famfa Oil Limited, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Statoil Nigeria Limited and Petroleo Brasileiro Nigeria Limited have again, restated total commitment to building mutually-beneficial partnerships and supporting government efforts in the nation’s health sector.
Speaking on behalf of the parties at a Public Private Mix (PPM) summit for Tuberculosis control in Nigeria held in Lagos on Monday 3rd of September, 2018, the Director, Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited, Mr. Rick Kennedy averred that “Our support is inspired by our view that quality healthcare delivery provision is a crucial social service that will help build a healthy citizenry and develop the country”.
Business Hilights recalls that the summit, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Federal Ministry of Health and other stakeholders, was aimed at bringing together the Private Health sector players, and the Private corporate organizations to discuss support for TB control.
The participants also reviewed and proffered solutions to challenges of financing TB programs in Nigeria and to propose strategies to improve synergy among different stakeholders to harness and leverage on available resources to end TB in Nigeria.
In a presentation on behalf of the Agbami parties at the summit, Dr Olubukunola Fagade, Medical Director at Chevron, represented by Dr. Chinwe Okala explained that the group’s strategic choice of intervention in TB is designed to achieve access to services, early detection and proper management of the disease as well as other chest and lung diseases in Nigeria, in alignment with the national strategy.
“Our strategy is actualized through infrastructural support; medical equipment and supplies; capacity building targeting health workers; protecting health workers and advocacy on TB,” she stated.
On how to actively work the talk on their social performance vision, Dr. Okala said from 2008, the parties have built, equipped and donated 25 chest clinics to institutions and hospital across the country as part of our contributions in support of the efforts to control, treat and eradicate TB from the country.
“Additionally, 25 GeneXpert machines and X-ray machines were donated with Chest Clinics to 25 government-owned hospitals in Nigeria. A total of N2.2 billion has been spent on the Chest Clinic projects to date,” she added.
Besides, Agbami parties have also carried out TB awareness campaigns in Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Nasarawa and Oyo States in partnership with local non-government organizations and the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLC) to further raise awareness on the dangers of Tuberculosis, improve access to treatment and care, provide training and counselling on treatment and management of the infection in the country.
