Posted on: Thu 10-10-2024

As part of it’s corporate social responsibility in the health sector, an indigenous oil firm, FIRST Exploration and Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P) has entered into a partnership with the Healthy Heart Foundation, a sister outfit to First Cardiology Consultants, Lagos to provide free open-heart surgeries for indigent Nigerians.

The total package of the initiative is put at N2.6 billion with an annual grant of $500,000 (N875 million) and will run over a three-year period beginning from 2024.

Speaking at the launch of the initiative yesterday in Abuja, the Chairman of FIRST E&P, and former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Henry Odein Ajumogobia said the collaboration with the Healthy Heart Foundation, a non-profit organisation will help provide free open heart surgeries and improved cardiovascular care for over 360 underprivileged Nigerians who are in critical situation.

He said that FIRST E&P will provide to the Healthy Heart Foundation over three years enabling the Foundation to more than double it’s previous annual reach.

Ajumogobia said that the first instalment of the grant was disbursed in August 2024 when the initiative was officially flagged off.

” This partnership not only represents a significant step towards improving healthcare accessibility for the underserved communities in Nigeria but also sets a precedent for future health -related collaborations, ” he said.

On his part, the Co-Founder and Managing Director of FIRST Cardiology Consultants and Healthy Heart Foundation, Dr. Adeyemi Johnson said the surgeries will be in the area of percutaneous cardiac Interventions such coronary angiograms and angioplasty, device insertions, including Pacemakers, Cardiac Resynchronization therapy (CTR) and implantable cardiovascular defibrillators.

According to him, the surgeries will be for both paediatric and adult patients.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, who witnessed the signing of the MoU described the initiative as a timely Intervention being that the health sector is presently undergoing reforms and revitalization to improve of infrastructure and service delivery.

He said that beyond improvement of infrastructure and service delivery, the federal government was seeking to expand the health insurance scheme to help make quality healthcare available to many Nigerians at little or no cost.

SOURCE: THIS DAY NEWSPAPER

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