As part its corporate social responsibility, TotalEnergies and partners recently commissioned and handed over a maternal and child referral centre to the people of Cross River state.
The project constructed inside the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, UCTH, was officially unveiled on Tuesday.
The maternal and child referral centre is fully equipped with state-of-the art facilities, including a main reception and waiting area of 30 persons sitting capacity, qards for children, mother and neo natal, theatre, recovery and stabilisation rooms, 2 consultation rooms, nurse bay, technical room, medical record office, equipped laboratory, equipped modern theatre, delivery room with 2 nos multi-purpose delivery beds, 2 nos. pharmacy store, 2 nos. changing room, borehole installation, power supply of 60KVA generator, solar power of 15KVA installed, toilets for staff, patients; with one dedicated disabled toilets, fully furnished with relevant seats, tables, examination bed, and air conditioning equipment.
It also has a well landscaped environment with concrete interlocking, parking lots, driveway to emergency area, walkways round the hospital, water points at strategic locations, perimeter fence with installed lighting points, alongside equipped laundry section.
TotalEnergies last year, commissioned a total of 10 projects, while four have been completed and handed over this year under its batch four project lineups.
Mike Sangster, Managing Director, TotalEnergies Upstream Companies in Nigeria, represented by Obi Imemba, Executive Director, J.V Assets, in his address at the ceremony, said the projects were borne out of the need to mitigate the gaps in qualitative and technical education, maternal & child health, access to clean water, and women & youth empowerment.
He explained that the projects locations were carefully chosen for maximum impact, coming from a needs assessment carried out before the deployment.
He said: “It is important to note that these projects were realised using the novel approach of “Project Managers. “This approach which is new in the industry, permits the delivery of projects in remote and challenging environments while ensuring the use of local expertise and stakeholder engagement. I am very happy the pilot projects were successful. We are using the Return on Experience, to improve our processes and deliver our 2nd and 3rd Phases faster and better.”
TotalEnergies partners include state oil firm, the NNPC, CNOOC, Prime 130 formerly Petrobras and Sapetro.
TotalEnergies, in 2016, commenced its robust plan to deploy CSR Infrastructure developments across the country which resulted in a strategy to deliver 84 Infrastructure projects across the 6 geo-political zones in Nigeria.
The 1st Phase included a total of 33 projects launched in 2017 in the areas of Education, Health, Capacity Building and Access to Water across the country. Another 24 projects were launched in 2018 in the 2nd Phase, while another 27 projects were launched in 2019 in the 3rd Phase.
Of these 84 infrastructure projects, 39 have already been completed and commissioned from the earlier three phases and this year, a total of 14 have now been completed and will be commissioned this April. The remaining 31 are still under construction and will be commissioned on completion.
Bala Wunti, Group Generel Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NAPIMS, represented by Bunmi Lawson said NNPC will continue to consistently champion the implementation of Sustainable Community Development projects that will positively impact the lives of the citizens of this country.
“The completion and commissioning of this project in 2021, Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives of the Nigerian Government through its Oil and Gas sector. is in furtherance of the In NNPC, our vision for social intervention is to continue to operate in an ethical and sustainable manner and deal with the environment and social impacts occasioned by our activities. We pride ourselves in our slogan “we touch your lives in many positive ways” hence the approval for the deployment of various CSR projects by our operators across the country for maximum impact. NNPC along with its Partners have implemented various projects in the areas of education (building and equipping of schools/ classrooms, laboratories, donation of books, scholarships, Quiz competitions, etc.) skill acquisitions and economic empowerment, healthcare, solar power and other infrastructural intervention projects. These projects were borne out of the need to mitigate the gaps in Health Care, Quality Education, Water, and Women & Youth Empowerment in line with the relevant Millennium Development Goals (MDG). NNPC and its Partners are socially responsible organisations committed to improving the livelihood of the citizens of our great country, Nigeria”.
On behalf of the partners, Luc Vanson, General Manager, Prime 130, said the partners were proud to be part of such laudable initiatives.
The community was advised to ensure sustainable use of the facility to impact the people positively.
Chief Medical Director, UCTH, Ikpeme Ikpeme, commended TotalEnergies and partners for the project and assured that the centre would be put to the best use.
On her part, the Cross Rivers State Commissioner for Commerce, Dr. Rosemary Achibong applauded the initiative.
“Today we are seeing the revival of a project that has been long abandoned. I want to thank TotalEnergies and partners for this initiative which is in line with the state’s health goals.
“We know the importance of women and children health to the development of the state and nation as well”, she said, charging the Medical Director, UCTH to out the facility to the best use for the overall benefits of the state”, she said.