Daud Olatunji
In a significant move to enhance healthcare services in Nigeria, Egbin Power Plc and Sahara Group Foundation have donated a fully-equipped Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to the General Hospital Ijede in Lagos.
This newly built 5-bed ICU is expected to significantly improve the hospital’s capacity to handle critical patient care and emergency responses, aligning with the goals of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages.
During the commissioning ceremony, Mokhtar Bounour, CEO of Egbin Power, highlighted the donation as a reflection of the company’s long-standing commitment to the development of its host communities.
Bounour stressed that the ICU would not only improve emergency response and healthcare delivery but also empower the lives of those in the community.
“At Egbin Power Plc, we believe that the strength of a community is reflected in the well-being of its people. As one of the largest power generation companies in Nigeria, we have always been committed to not only powering homes and industries but also to empowering lives.
The impact of this donation will be far-reaching, improving emergency response, and strengthening overall healthcare delivery in the state,” Bounour said.
He further assured the healthcare professionals at the General Hospital Ijede of the company’s trust in their expertise and dedication, expressing confidence that they would provide exceptional care to patients in need. Bounour reiterated Egbin Power’s ongoing commitment to community development through various initiatives in health, education, and environmental sustainability.
Ejiro Gray, Director of Governance and Sustainability at Sahara Group Foundation, addressed the historical challenges faced by the community due to the lack of accessible critical healthcare services.
She noted that the new ICU facility would alleviate the difficulties and delays previously encountered when transporting critically ill patients to distant healthcare facilities.
“We don’t have a lot of this facility in Lagos State, and even in Nigeria. One can only imagine how many lives that must have been lost because we didn’t have this sort of facility for critical cases.
The time and logistics it took to get critically ill patients to a healthcare facility that has an ICU was a challenge. We took a step further in establishing the ICU facility, equipping it with quality infrastructure and equipment to create a fully-fledged ICU in this part of the state.
This has therefore brought critical care services closer to the people,” Gray explained.
Dr. Olumuyiwa Balogun-Oluwa, Acting Chief Medical Director of General Hospital Ijede, praised the collaboration between Sahara Group Foundation and Egbin Power, acknowledging that the ICU will serve the Ikorodu community and Lagos State at large.
He expressed optimism that this development marks a significant step towards realizing the hospital’s vision of becoming one of the best in the area.
“General Hospital Ijede has moved to the next level of healthcare, a level occupied by not many general hospitals in the state, that is, a hospital with an ICU. We are grateful to Sahara Group Foundation and Egbin Power.
The commissioning today is a further step towards fulfilling the vision statement which is to be one of the best hospitals in the environment, and I believe we are very close to achieving it.
The facility will be primarily used for the benefit of the Ikorodu community and Lagos State in general. We intend to get all our staff prepared and trained for the commencement of work,” Dr. Balogun-Oluwa stated.
The ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including Dr. Mobolaji Olukoya, Commissioner II of the Lagos State Health Service Commission, and other notable figures from the state’s health services.
Representatives from Egbin Kingdom and community liaison officers from Ijede were also present.
Egbin Power has a track record of promoting quality healthcare in its host communities.
Their initiatives include an annual 3-day medical outreach for cardiovascular, arthritis, dental, and diabetes screenings, supplying free uninterrupted electricity to the General Hospital Ijede, delivering free hospital-grade oxygen to hospitals within Ikorodu, and quarterly donations of medications.
These interventions are part of Egbin Power’s broader efforts to strengthen healthcare infrastructure in the communities they serve, contributing significantly to the attainment of SDG 3.
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