Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has commissioned a state-of-the-art neonatal ward and a renovated intensive care unit at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, Delta State, in a move to strengthen the country’s healthcare system under its hospital support programme (HSP).

The new facilities at FMC Asaba include fully equipped neonatal and ICU suites, recovery rooms, preparation zones, automated doors, a dedicated nurses’ station and a family lounge.

The upgrade is designed to improve emergency response, enhance treatment outcomes and provide better care for newborns and critically ill patients.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Thursday, NLNG’s managing director and CEO Philip Mshelbila, represented by Sophia Horsfall, general manager, external relations and sustainable development, said the initiative was in line with the company’s mission of improving lives through sustainable development.

“We invest in people, not just infrastructure. Through education, health, and capacity-building, we are helping shape a sustainable future. The commissioning at FMC Asaba signals more than the completion of a project, it reflects a clear, steadfast vision: a healthcare system where Nigerian lives are preserved through precision, preparedness, and partnership,” Mshelbila said.

“A single step into these wards in FMC, Asaba, reveals transformation with purpose. This is what it means to turn concern into action and statistics into lives saved. Nigeria contributes 20% of global maternal and child mortality. This must change, and we’re committed to that change,” he added.

Minister of state for health, Iziaq Salako, represented by the director of hospital services in the ministry, Jimoh Salaudeen, applauded NLNG’s gesture and urged other organisations to emulate it.

He described the project as another milestone in the delivery of quality health services aligned with the Federal Government’s renewed hope agenda.

Also speaking, a member of NLNG’s board of directors, Henry Obih, stressed that the intervention reflected NLNG’s enduring commitment to the health and welfare of Nigerians.

He noted that the HSP initiative had delivered critical infrastructure to support families, newborns and healthcare professionals across the country.

Chief medical director of FMC Asaba, Victor Osiatuma, expressed gratitude to NLNG for selecting the hospital without any lobbying involved. He said the intervention would make a huge impact on service delivery at the centre.

The hospital support programme was launched in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It targets 12 federal university teaching hospitals across the country, including the FCT. So far, nine institutions have benefited, with upgrades in areas such as obstetrics, neonatal intensive care, occupational therapy and neuromodulation rehabilitation.

NLNG continues to play a leading role in national development, extending its investment beyond the energy sector into education, health and infrastructure to drive long-term, sustainable progress.