From Kenechukwu Obiajuru, Yenagoa
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing healthcare access in the Niger Delta, pledging to support the Care365 Health Hub’s innovation in the health sector.
The NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, stated this during the official launch of Care365 Health Hub’s groundbreaking product, an initiative set to redefine healthcare delivery in Nigeria, at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The event was chaired by Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and graced by dignitaries, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Chairman of Care365 Health Hub, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd), and Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, who officially unveiled the Care365 system.
During the panel discussion, Dr. Ogbuku highlighted the Commission’s extensive medical outreach programmes, which have long brought life-saving services to underserved communities in the Niger Delta.
He stressed that the introduction of Care365’s cutting-edge equipment would significantly strengthen these efforts, enabling the Commission to deepen its impact across the region. Emphasising the importance of prioritising wellness, he remarked that “health is wealth, and wealth is health.”
He stated that the NDDC was collaborating with various healthcare partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), to enhance healthcare delivery through programmes like the Care365 Health Hub, which was recently launched to provide innovative healthcare solutions and community health outreach.
According to Ogbuku, partnerships focus on expanding access to quality healthcare, addressing specific health challenges in the Niger Delta, and ensuring the sustainability of medical services for the indigent population.
He further underscored the NDDC’s role as a key partner and early adopter of the Care365 innovation, reflecting the Commission’s proactive stance in ensuring that the people of the Niger Delta benefit from the latest advancements in healthcare delivery.
The NDDC boss reaffirmed the Commission’s readiness to expand collaboration with national and international partners. He also encouraged Nigerians to embrace healthier lifestyles, noting that eating well and exercising regularly are essential complements to the availability of advanced healthcare technologies.
He observed that the NDDC had sustained a flagship free medical outreach programme that provides healthcare services to vulnerable populations in the region. He assured that the Commission would continue with its health programmes by establishing partnerships and ensuring patients have access to healthcare services even after the outreach missions.
“We have our free medical outreach, which we carry out in the nine states of the Niger Delta. Initially, we carry out the programme once a year, but due to the high demand, we have decided to make it twice every year. The one for this year was flagged off by the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Bayelsa.”
“For us in NDDC, we believe that health is wealth, and for the nation to be wealthy, the nation needs to be healthy. So every individual’s life is significant to us. We believe that the vulnerable people are the ones we need to reach out to.
We came up with the digital health programme where we are registering the vulnerable people in our communities in partnership with the World Health Organisation.
In the first phase, which we were supposed to register about one million persons, we have registered over 500 people who have been forwarded to the National Social Register to ensure that they have access to health insurance.”
