Yemisi Izuora
As part of its determination to curb medical tourism and capital flight, the medical arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the NNPC Medical Services Ltd (NMSL), has inaugurated a state-of-the-art diagnostics laboratory capable of detecting most of the endemic diseases for which many Nigerians have been travelling abroad to seek medical care.
Speaking at the inauguration of the diagnostics laboratory in Abuja, the Managing Director of NMSL, Dr. Musa Shaibu, said the installation of the diagnostics laboratory was part of NMSL’s commitment to providing efficient commercial medical services to NNPC staff and members of the public.
A release by NNPC Acting Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division, Mr. Samson Makoji, said Dr. Shaibu stated that the facility was a practical demonstration of NMSL’s vision of adding value to the wellbeing of not just the NNPC workforce but also to members of the Nigerian public.
He said the establishment of the laboratory would make NMSL to be completely independent and cut cost in terms of referrals to other diagnostic laboratories in Abuja.
On her part, the Manager of NNPC Diagnostic Laboratory, Bishop Brigid Udoh, stated that the molecular special laboratory would also focus on DNA and genotyping services to see Nigerians stay healthy.
The NNPC Molecular Specialist, Kelvin Agimogim, explained that the facility has the capacity to provide kanotyping, agrogenomics, and pre-implantation of pregnancy or IVF procedures, adding that it also has facilities to carry out investigation detection and quantification of HIV 1 and 2, Hepatitis A, B, C, genotyping and paternity test amongst others.