Nigeria’s Hospital Equipment Need Still Underserved, Says MEGACORP CEO
Martins Ifijeh
The Chief Executive Officer of MEGACORP, Trader Okoh Benjamin has stated that Nigeria’s hospital equipment need is still underserved especially in rural and sub-urban areas of the country.
Speaking to THISDAY recently, he said his organisation has identified this huge gap and has decided to fill in the gap as part of measures to ensure Nigerian health professionals and organisations get the right equipment to carry out their work and trainings.
He said: “MEGACORP has been meeting the medical equipment and consumable needs of health practitioners and patients in rural and suburban areas of Edo State primarily, and recently in the satellite towns of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“We have sent our goods to practically every geopolitical zone of Nigeria, and very recently we equipped a new laboratory in Cameroon. The hospital equipment market nationwide is still very much under served, so we’re contributing our quota in both equipment and public health awareness.
“Although the COVID-19 pandemic has affected many firms providing this services to the health sector, we have ensured we do not slow down because there is no better time than now to provide more accessibility to health professionals and organisations in need of consumables and other medical products.”
Describing MEGACORP as one of Nigeria’s fast growing medical equipment firm with a large footing in Edo State, he said unlike most organisations during the COVID-19 lockdown, his firm did not reduce staff strength, neither did it cut staff salaries having realised there was no better time to fill in equipment gap in the sector.
Benjamin said: “We have even made a new policy which we have operated for the past three months where we ensure our staff are paid before the end of the month.”
On whether the COVID-19 pandemic affected its services, he said: “Though we were exempted from the lockdown, it still resulted in drastic reduction in sales. The sudden inflation and high cost of goods and services is taking is toll on us.
“Having started from a suburban background, we want in the next five years, to make our products more available and affordable to ordinary Nigerians nationwide.
“We have a public health enlightenment arm that educates people on healthy practices and proper personal care. We intend to develop it more, and reach more people with our message.”
“A workman is only as good as his tools will let him, So in the Ambrose Alli University and Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital environment where we started, our filling the gap of availability of tools of work viz equipment and textbooks for student doctors, laboratories scientists, life scientists, nurses and all the other health professionals has certainly improved the quality of graduates from the school. The appreciation and goodwill we get for this is massive,” he added.