The NNPC Foundation has commissioned and handed over a fully installed 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and improve access to advanced medical diagnostics in Nigeria.
The MRI facility, donated through the corporate social responsibility arm of NNPC Limited, is expected to improve access to diagnostic imaging services for residents across the South-East region, including Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi states, as well as neighbouring Delta State.
The intervention included the delivery, installation, calibration, testing, and commissioning of the state-of-the-art MRI machine alongside supporting infrastructure such as RF shielding systems, chillers, backup UPS systems, electrical installations, ventilation systems, CCTV, oxygen monitoring systems, intercom facilities, and patient comfort technologies.
Before the installation, patients requiring MRI services reportedly faced long waiting periods, high costs, and the burden of travelling long distances to access functional imaging centres.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony held at the Igwe Orizu ICT Centre, NAUTH Permanent Site in Anambra State, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Bashir Bayo Ojulari, represented by the Managing Director of NNPC Foundation Ltd./Gte, Emmanuella Arukwe, described the project as a strategic investment in healthcare and national development.
“The installation of the MRI in NAUTH exemplifies our commitment as our intent is to build enduring institutions, sustainable systems and legacies. This intervention aligns with our conviction that access to quality healthcare underpins human dignity, longevity and economic productivity,” he said.
He added that the company’s social investments help strengthen the relationship between its energy mandate and the welfare expectations of Nigerians.
Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, represented by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike, said the facility would improve safe and accurate diagnosis and treatment for patients across the South-East.
He commended the NNPC Foundation for the donation, noting that it would significantly enhance access to quality healthcare in the region.
Also speaking, the Executive Vice President, Business Services, NNPC Ltd., Sophia Mbakwe, represented by Chief Supply Chain Officer Engr. Isokariari Telema, reiterated the company’s commitment to impactful social investments across Nigeria.
“In over forty years of its existence, NNPC has stayed the course in impacting lives positively across Nigeria – supporting with infrastructural development, social amenities, educational sponsorships, and a host of other projects and initiatives that have underscored our values of Integrity, Excellence and Sustainability,” she said.
The Chief Medical Director of NAUTH, Joseph Ugboaja, praised the intervention, describing it as a major relief for patients in the hospital’s catchment area.
“For too long, patients in our catchment area have had to travel long distance to access this level of diagnostic precision, often at prohibitive costs. With this installation, we will eliminate that burden. NNPC Foundation has demonstrated that corporate social responsibility is not just a policy statement but a lifeline for institutions like ours,” he said.
