Accion MFB Extends CSR Initiatives to Primary Healthcare Center

Ugo Aliogo

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Accion Microfinance Bank (MFB) recently unveiled its new project for the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Ikeja, Lagos.

The CSR projects implemented for the center include; supply and installation of wash hand basin with a complete tap, construction of pipework for water and wastewater, relocation of the water tank and placement on 1000mm dual 225mm block wall filled with three strength lanes, evacuation of sewage for soakaway pit, and repair waste pipe.

Others include, repair and fixing of pumping machines, re-plastering of top of the septic tank, installation of additional tiles at the lobby of the center and others.

Speaking during the unveiling of some of the refurbished facilities at the healthcare centre, the Managing Director, Taiwo Joda, stated that the CSR project fits perfectly into the thrust of Accion MFB’s CSR policy of healthcare for its clients who are at the bottom of the pyramid.

Joda who was represented by the Head, Value Chain Partnership and Product Development, Accion MFB, Adetokunbo Elliot, said one of the bank’s objectives is to give back to the communities where it operates while assuring the partnership with Ikeja Health Centre and the community would be a long-lasting one.

“We are here to unveil some CSR projects which we are carrying out in Ikeja Primary Healthcare Center in line with the bank’s CSR policy. As a bank, we want to give back to the communities where we operate and we know that we have many customers here in Ikeja who visit this PHC and we know our staff at the Ikeja community and so we decided to give back. So far we have done about five CSR projects and we hope to do more before the end of 2021 and we will continue to support the healthcare center in any way possible in line with our CSR policy,” He said.

Also speaking, the Medical Officer, PHC Ikeja local government, Dr. Oladapo Asiyanbi, hinted that Accion MFB has done something that looks small in size whilst the impact is large.

According to him, the total overhauling of the water system supply and sewage of Ikeja Primary Healthcare Center (PHC) will improve the quality of health service delivery.

He said: “For the sewage system, they refurbished it to ensure that solid and liquid waste evacuation is smooth and that will go a long way to prevent leakages and so it is a long-lasting impact and not a material that you can exhaust. They have put a hand on a capital project which is not easy but highly needed and so we are grateful for what they have done for the community as well as the healthcare center.

“The Ikeja Local Government has like six PHCs and we want to try and add alternatives to our power supply as you know that the power supply in Nigeria is not that efficient. We are using the public power supply and a backup generator, however, we want to move to a cleaner and more sustainable energy via solar panels, inverters, and batteries so that we can be assured that when there is an interruption, there are proper back-ups that are more friendly to the environment and easier to manage. We are fully ready and available to render healthcare services to Nigerians especially to the people of Lagos.”

Corroborating him, the Officer in charge of the PHC, Adeleke Adeola, remarked that there are things that need to be done in Nigeria’s healthcare systems while urging other companies to follow in the footsteps of Accion MFB.

“Whether in the public or private PHCs, there are still a dearth of facilities, and people still do not know they can visit the PHCs to get access to healthcare services and so this is more of a challenge to other organizations that they can also contribute in their own little way as the Federal government cannot do everything alone because there are still things that we need to put in place to give it a proper structured healthcare system,” She said.