Katsina government gets fully equipped Chest Clinic from Star Deepwater Petroleum Nigeria, Agbami Co-ventures

 The Star Deepwater Petroleum Nigeria Limited, a Chevron Company with its Agbami Co-ventures have donated a fully equipped Chest Clinic to the Rimi General Hospital, Katsina State.

The Co-venturers are Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, FAMFA Oil Limited, Statoil Nigeria Limited and Petroleo Brasileiro Nigeria Limited.

Speaking at Protea Hotel, Asokoro, Abuja, venue of the handover, the Director, Deepwater & Production Sharing Contracts, Mr. Jeffrey Ewing, who was represented by Senator Daniel Olugbenga Aluko, Director, Government Affairs of Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL said the Chest Clinic comes fully equipped with a standard X-Ray Machine, male and female wards, treatment rooms, labouratories and Gene Xpert machine.

Katsina State Government, he said, provided the land, permits, manpower, electricity and security, thanking the government and people of Katsina State for partnering with “us to ensure the successful completion of the Chest Clinic.”

He also expressed gratitude to the management of Rimi General Hospital and the Project Manager for their efforts in making the building and equipping of the Chest Clinic a reality. 

He said “From December 2004 when the Agbami Project contract was awarded, Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited with its Co-ventures in the Agbami Field has consistently made it a point of duty to enhance the development of Nigerian capacities and capabilities in the oil and gas industry for maximum positive impact on Nigeria’s economy. These deliberate efforts have resulted in employment generation, higher local contractors’ participation in the design and fabrication of facilities for the project and training.”

“The Agbami Field is located approximately 70 miles (113 Kilometers) offshore Nigeria. However, in line with the Deep Offshore Community Affairs Group, DOCAG engagement principles, we view the entire country as the Agbami Community. Consequently, the intervention by the group in the areas of education and health is distributed throughout the Nigeria and is adding value to Nigerians,” he also said.

According to him “Apart from the Chest Clinic we are handing over today, several projects by the Co-ventures are either on-going or completed across the country. The projects, mainly Chest Clinics, libraries and science laboratories constitute an aspect of the strategic interventions by the Agbami Co-ventures. It would interest you to know that we have donated 23 Chest Clinics to different states of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

In addition to the Chest Clinics, he said “We have implemented awareness programmes on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases in several communities across the six geo-political zones in the country. Medications were also made available to the people of such communities.”

Katsina State Commissioner for Health, Mannir Ibrahim Talba who was represented by Dr. Muhamed Qabashiru, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Katsina State, said that the Chest Clinic is one of the most needed projects in the state.

He said, “The centre will enable the state handle patients who hitherto were referred to TB clinics far from Katsina State for treatment – especially those who have developed resistant to regular TB medications. We can now efficiently and adequately treat them. I want to assure that the centre will be a good example; it is going to be a center of excellence not only in the state but the world in general. Tuberculosis (TB) is bad and this chest clinic will help us to tackle it. We are ever ready to collaborate with the Agbami Co-venturers.”

Also speaking, Mrs. Meg Irozuru, representative of Petrobras Nigeria Ltd. said “This health clinic is one of the projects embarked upon by the partners in line with the programme to help improve quality health care across the country. The partners’ interest and commitment to developing Nigeria’s health sector arises from the fact that we are responsive and responsible corporate citizens of Nigeria.”

“Health, they say, is wealth and we believe that by supporting the government to improve healthcare delivery across Nigeria, we are not only fulfilling our Corporate Responsibility to the people, we are also helping to enrich them,” she said.

According to her “We in Petrobras are delighted to see the commissioning of this Chest Clinic today. We are confident that the project will benefit the people as it will help to stem the tide of tuberculosis and other chest-related diseases in Katsina State while encouraging the communities to make good use of the facility so as to derive the benefit of this support.”

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