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From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited Foundation has donated and commissioned a 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Anambra State.
The commissioning marked the first time a government-owned hospital east of the Niger would possess such advanced MRI diagnostic equipment, as patients previously depended largely on private medical facilities for MRI services.
Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC, Bashir Ojulari, represented by Managing Director, NNPC Foundation, Mrs. Emmanuella Arukwe, described the occasion as historic and a demonstration of the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility beyond the oil and gas sector.
Ojulari said the installation of the 1.5 Tesla GE MRI system in a public health institution reflected NNPC’s determination to improve healthcare accessibility for Nigerians.
He noted that the intervention came at a critical time when Nigeria’s health sector continues to grapple with infrastructure deficits, shortage of equipment, technology limitations, manpower attrition and inadequate funding.
According to him, the MRI machine would significantly reduce the burden on patients in Anambra State and the Southeast who often travel long distances at huge costs to access diagnostic imaging services. “This intervention will positively impact thousands of lives by reducing travel, costs and barriers to healthcare access,” he stated.
Arukwe, in her remarks, described the commissioning as the beginning of a new chapter for healthcare delivery in the Southeast. She said the MRI installation would bridge gaps in quality and efficient healthcare services, especially in advanced diagnosis and treatment.
Citing a 2024 Nigeria Health Watch report, she disclosed that over 250,000 Nigerians die annually due to poor healthcare access, stressing that the MRI project would help reduce delayed diagnosis, unnecessary referrals, travel-related risks, psychological stress and catastrophic medical expenses.
She added that the Foundation had adopted a sustainability approach by training frontline personnel on the deployment and utilisation of the equipment.
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Arukwe further revealed that within the last three years, the Foundation had carried out cataract surgeries for over 6,000 Nigerians, including children with congenital blindness, screened more than 4,000 persons for cancer and provided free cardiac interventions, among other healthcare outreach programmes.
Executive Vice President, Business Services, NNPC, Sophia Mbakwe, represented by Telema Isokariari, said the intervention underscored the company’s resolve to deliver impactful social investments across Nigeria through the NNPC Foundation.
She stated that the MRI machine would strengthen healthcare delivery and improve the quality of life of people in Anambra State and the Southeast who depend on NAUTH for medical services.
Mbakwe said the diagnostic equipment would enhance the hospital’s ability to diagnose neurological, oncological, cardiovascular and related diseases with greater speed and accuracy, thereby improving treatment outcomes and reducing mortality rates. “In over forty years of its existence, NNPC has remained committed to positively impacting lives across Nigeria through infrastructural development, educational support and other social interventions,” she said.
Chief Medical Director, NAUTH, Prof. Joseph Ugboaja, described the installation of the MRI machine as “the installation of hope, precision and excellence in healthcare delivery.”
Ugboaja recalled that upon assuming office in 2021, the hospital management set a vision of making NAUTH one of the top three health institutions in Nigeria by 2030.
He said achieving the vision required support from corporate organisations and commended the NNPC Foundation for demonstrating that corporate social responsibility could directly save lives.
According to him, the intervention aligns with the hospital’s 10-year strategic development plan and the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the health sector. “With this MRI machine, world-class diagnostic services have now been brought to the doorsteps of our people,” he said.
The CMD, however, noted that the hospital still faces challenges, including infrastructure gaps, high power costs and the need for more specialist services, expressing optimism that continued partnerships would help address them.
Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Monsur Olugbenga Kukoyi, lauded NAUTH management for attracting the intervention, describing it as a landmark development that would improve access to quality healthcare services across the Southeast region.
