NLNG commissions Neurosurgical and Stroke Center in UCTH Calabar

The Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas Limited, NLNG, has donated a state-of-the-art Neurosurgical and Stroke Center to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), as part of its Hospital Support Programme (HSP) Phase 1 projects. 

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The commissioning of the neurosurgical and stroke center, which took place Thursday, 6th of April, 2023, is aimed at boosting health care service delivery in the 12 University Teaching Hospitals and improving the standard of healthcare in the country.

During the commissioning of the Centre, NLNG's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, represented by Mr. Andy Odeh, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, said NLNG's commitment to building a better health for communities in Nigeria through the Hospital Support Programme is anchored on its belief in the fact that a healthy population is a reliable, strong and fortified block for building a better and sustainable society.

“A healthy brain projects a rational mind, innovates, creates and envisions social, economic and political growth. In the same vein a body that is alive with wellness drives the productive vehicle of any ambitious society. 

 “This world-class facility being commissioned today will, we believe, add to the well-being of Calabar and improve the city's profile as a tourist destination. By adding this chink to its shining armour, who knows this great institution could become a health destination of note. While I say this with an unfair tone of probability, I can confidently say that these health facilities would lift the level of research and learning and touch the whole gamut of medical scholarship both in this hospital and the country at large,” he added.

Dr. Philip Mshelbila reiterated the company's commitment to investing in the well-being of Nigerians and pledged to continue to support initiatives that will enhance the quality of healthcare in the country.

‘‘When covid hit this country in 2020 NLNG intervened as part of the group of oil and gas communist in Nigeria led by the NNPC to provide some support to the nation, and we just found out that beyond covid, there is a lot more happening to the health sector and there is a need to intervene. 

‘‘Tied to one of the four pillars of our sustainable development, are sustainability platforms – health, education, infrastructure and empowerment, we find out that health is an area where we key in, and after what we saw during covid, we taught that it was important to support institutions in Nigeria.

‘‘Interestingly for every commissioning we have done, there is always a request to do more, and what I can say is that for us the focus right now is to deliver phase one, and begin to see how we can deliver in phase two. NLNG is doing what it is doing today because like I said its an area where we believe a lot of intervention is required.’’

The Minister for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, represented by the Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Prof. Emem Bassey, commended NLNG for its contribution to healthcare in Nigeria. He emphasized the need for other corporate organizations to emulate the example set by NLNG and contribute to the development of the healthcare sector in the country.

‘‘You really cannot overemphasize the contribution of stroke and other non-communicable disease to current mortality trends. The emphasis has always been on infectious disease but the truth is that the NCDs are killing more people than even infectious disease. So, this facility is a very major step in addressing that gap especially in this institution, and would ensure that people with stroke and who also need neurosurgery can have a dedicated unit that they can obtain service.

‘‘It is expected that every state like Cross River State should have primary, secondary and tertiary hospitals. It’s a combination of all of this that we provide for Nigerians. Federal government cannot do it alone, so we expect state governments to also play their role in ensuring the healthcare of Nigerians."

Also speaking at the event, the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Prof. Ikpeme Ikpeme expressed gratitude to NLNG for the donation of the neurosurgical and stroke center. He noted that the center would go a long way in improving the standard of healthcare in the hospital and the entire state.

‘‘This innovation goes beyond the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. It means we are able to concentrate care, we are able to care for the patients more closely, we are able to learn over time, improve our abilities and overtime the patients who come here will get better care and better outcomes, and it is a significant step because we are now able to care for a cohort of patients in a dedicated center and evidence shows when that happens the results are better.

"Our data show that the commonest known trauma emergencies in our hospital and in our locality are stroke, and once you suffer stroke you become dependent, you are no longer able to function as an independent person. Evidence also shows that stroke patients do better when they are taken care of in a dedicated certain. This facility will ensure that these patients can recover, get back to being productive and live independent lives and contribute to society."

On the capacity of the neurological center, Prof. Ikpeme said, "For now we have 18 beds, but we see about three thousand stroke cases a year, so eighteen beds is small for that number. This is a beginning, there is room for expansion, we will expand and that expansion will include room for research, so there can be dedicated to it, at the end of the day we can generate scientific data that will help our patients and our institution. 

"It is hoped that other corporate organizations will emulate this gesture and contribute to the development of healthcare in the country," he added. 

The newly commissioned UCTH project an 18-bed Neurosurgical and Stroke Centre, which includes nine-bed male and nine-bed female wards, an operating theatre, three consulting offices, a pharmacy, two sleep-in rooms, nursing and recovery rooms and other associated facilities. 

With this latest commissioning NLNG has successfully completed the Phase 1 of its Hospital Support Programme, HSP. 

Already commissioned projects in 2023 include an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH), Yenagoa; an Occupational Therapy and Neuromodulation Rehabilitation Centre at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano;  and an Obstetrics and Gynaecology Ward at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

The NLNG Hospital Support Programme (HSP) is the company’s national Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative which aims to boost healthcare delivery in 12 Federal University Teaching Hospitals across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The programme started in 2022. A maternity centre at University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada and an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) were commissioned in same 2022 as part of the programme’s Phase1 projects.

In February 2023, NLNG commenced Phase 2 with the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt, for the equipping of the Haemodialysis Centre; the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Uyo, for the renovation and equipping of an accident and emergency unit and theatre; and Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos, for the construction and equipping of a twin theatre suite.

The event was attended by a host of high profile personalities, including the Board Chairman of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Rtd. Col. Muhammadu Abdul, Chairmen Medical Advisory Committee, Dr. Michael Eyong, principal officers of the hospital, traditional rulers, as well as top government functionaries in the state.