Chevron, partners commit N2.7 billion to health infrastructure

Stakeholders in the health sector in Nigeria have commended the efforts of a Chevron Company, Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited, and its partners in the Agbami field, including Famfa Oil Limited, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Equinor, and Petroleo Brasileiro Nigeria Limited for expending over N2.7billion on health infrastructure in the country.

The fund was specifically staked on acquiring equipment that would help the country fight the menace of Tuberculosis, Medical Director, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Dr. Paul Areyenka said at a conference in Abuja.

Areyenka said: “Through the construction and equipping of 28 Chest Clinics across the country, we have contributed to strengthening health systems and supporting the treatment and care of tuberculosis patients in Nigeria.

“The chest clinics were built in close collaboration with the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTLCP) of the Ministry of Health, in existing government hospitals and handed over to the States in which they are located for management”.

He added that the facilities were fully-equipped with standard X-Ray machines, male and female wards, treatment rooms, laboratories, and Gene Xpert Machines.

Speaking as other stakeholders commended the group’s contributions aimed at reducing TB in Nigeria, Areyenka disclosed that in its over 50 years of operations in Nigeria, Chevron and partners have been supporting Government in strengthening health systems targeting the triad of HIV, Malaria, and Tuberculosis (TB).

According to him, the group had deployed a social health investment program targeting TB disease, which covers the building of infrastructures such as chest clinics, conducting awareness and advocacy campaigns and assisting in protecting TB health care workers in order to contribute towards the National Tuberculosis (TB) program goals.

Since 2008, the Agbami parties have spent a total sum of N2.7billion ($16.6Million) to build and equip the chest clinics, which have been donated to government hospitals across the country, the medical expert said.

Areyenka noted that between 2015 to 2017, over 48,000 presumptive TB cases have been registered in these facilities, with over 11,000 cases detected.

“The chest clinics have contributed to about 3% of the national presumptive TB cases registered and three percent to the National aggregate of TB cases, while the awareness campaigns have reached over 100,000 community folks and tested over 8000 presumptive cases with about 2000 cases detected,” he noted.

Stating that finding missing TB cases remain critical, Areyenka said the Agbami parties in close collaboration with the NTLCP and specialized Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) have conducted TB awareness and advocacy campaigns in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Oyo, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Lagos.