Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — In an intervention to tackle equipment gap in Rivers State’s healthcare system, Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, along with its joint venture partners, has donated life-saving medical equipment and a multimillion-naira supply of seed stock drugs to the Intensive Care Unit, ICU, of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, RSUTH.
The donation, comprising four VG70 medical ventilators, a laser therapy machine, an automated external defibrillator, a 7A-23D electronic suction apparatus, and essential pharmaceuticals, was officially handed over on Wednesday, at the company’s Industrial Area in Port Harcourt.
The initiative, according to Renaissance’s General Manager, Relations and Sustainable Development, Mr. Igo Weli, was driven by the urgent and life-threatening limitations at the hospital’s ICU.
“Despite having a 9-bed ICU, the hospital currently operates with only a few functional ventilators, a limitation for a facility serving such a large and growing population,” Weli stated.
He continued: “The demand for critical care has far outpaced the hospital’s equipment capacity, often forcing clinicians into difficult ethical decisions, choosing which patient receives ventilation support and which patient must wait, sometimes with life-threatening consequences. Recognizing this urgent need, Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, in collaboration with our JV partners, stepped in.”
Weli explained that the intervention was designed to “relieve the burden on RSUTH’s ICU, enhance critical care services, and ensure that no patient is denied the life-saving support they urgently require.”
He also highlighted the broader impact of the donation, noting that the drug supplies will strengthen RSUTH’s satellite facility.
“The multimillion Naira seed stock drugs will support the drug revolving fund at RSUTH’s community linked health facility. This will enhance the regular supply of drugs and commodities, preventing the ‘out of stock syndrome’ that has plagued healthcare facilities,” he added.
Weli praised RSUTH staff for their dedication and called for careful management of the donated resources.
“While this donation is a major step forward, its continued success depends on all of us. I urge the hospital management and healthcare professionals to ensure proper utilization and proactive maintenance of these equipment, continued building of capacity of medical staff to maximize the potential of this technology, and promote collaboration with other institutions to improve critical care services in the region.”
“At Renaissance, we are committed to supporting excellence. We have seen that excellence in action at RSUTH, and it is our honor to support this hospital’s continued success with this donation of life-saving equipment and medications,” he concluded.
Receiving the equipment, the Chief Medical Director of RSUTH, Prof. Chizindu Alikor, described the donation as timely and impactful.
“On behalf of the management staff of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, we want to thank your establishment for this generous donation. Your thoughtful support has come at a crucial time and we believe it will undoubtedly strengthen our capacity to provide quality care including life-saving medical procedures, especially in the context of critical care to the people of Rivers State and beyond.
“We look forward to a continued partnership with your esteemed organization and we assure you that the donated items will be used efficiently and for the benefit of those in need of them the most,” he pledged.
