Pan African Health Foundation (Port Harcourt)
27 October 2008
press release
Port Harcourt — Today, Speaker of the Nigerian House of Reps, Hon. Dimeji Bankole (who is standing-in for President Yar'Adua) will lead other dignitaries in commissioning an Auto-Disable Syringe Factory at Ozuoba-Obio, near Port Harcourt.
The Pan African Health Foundation Nigeria (PAHF Nigeria, a Port Harcourt-based NGO) is establishing the factory. Upon completion, it will be owned and operated by the Nigerian Government. The factory will employ more than 300 local personnel and produce up to 160 million safe syringes annually for medical facilities nationwide.
Among the dignitaries expected at today's commissioning ceremony are; the Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, Governor of Rivers State who is the Guest of Honour at the event; H. E. Timipre Sylva, Governor of the neighbouring Bayelsa State; Hon. Odein Ajumogobia, the Minister of State for Petroleum; Dr. Hassan Lawal, the Minister of Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, the Rivers State Commissioner for Health; Mr. Yuichi Ishimaru, Founder and Chairman of PAHF UK; Chief Phillip Cheido Asodu, Chairman of PAHF Nigeria; Major General Roger R. Blunt (AUS, Ret.), P. E. , Chairman of PAHF USA.; C. Payne Lucas, Senior Advisor of PAHF USA; and Mr. Robin Bullock, Representative Director of the Technology Licensors – Star Syringe of UK
As Amenya Wokoma (Exec. Secretary of PAHF) noted "We can indeed afford to be celebratory, since at one time, due to lack of funds, the project seemed stalled. The Governor of Rivers State has to be especially commended for his timely intervention which accelerated the project"
The buildup to today's event began last Saturday when Governor Amaechi and Mrs. Amaechi hosted the Directors of PAHF USA to breakfast in his house. During that breakfast meeting, the issues relating to building on the success achieved through the completion of this project were discussed. Later on that day, the Governor paid an inspection visit to the Plant, accompanied by several Congressmen, Ministers and other dignitaries. Issues high-lighted during the Plant visit included the need for support from the Federal Government, e.g. tax relief, to improve the plant's competitiveness.
The Factory project began on 30 November 2004, when then President Olusegun Obasanjo (who also serves as Grand Patron of PAHF Nigeria) presided over the groundbreaking ceremony.
Over the past four years, the project has attracted extensive support from the Nigerian Federal Government, but the bulk of the financial support (up to 90%) came from the Rivers State Government. PAHF Nigeria's "sister" NGOs – the London-based PAHF UK and the Washington, DC.-based PAHF USA – have provided technical and financial assistance. However a US$3 Million pledge by the Oil companies operating in the Niger Delta (curiously) remains unredeemed.
PAHF Nigeria expects the factory to be up-and-running by January, 2009, following employee training and several months of trial production.
Founder Y. Ishimaru however cautioned that, "today, we are actually at a start and not a finish line, and the challenge, going forward would to ensure that the plant is operated properly, maintaining global standards on a sustainable basis"
Auto-disable (AD) syringes, which use an automatic-locking device, and will de-activate after a single use and thus prevent reuse. Syringe reuse can transmit blood-borne pathogens – each year in the developing world, leading to a combine total or more than 25 million new infections of HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and other diseases resulting in the death of up to 1.4m children per annum (WHO figures). The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified AD Syringes as the preferred method for preventing syringe reuse.
The Port Harcourt factory will provide a reliable, affordable supply of these "safe syringes".
• The WHO cites the inadequate supply of AD Syringes in Africa as a major factor contributing to the high incidence of needle-transmitted diseases. Each year, the Port Harcourt factory will produce up to 160 million AD syringes: enough to have a substantial impact within Nigeria.
• By producing syringes locally, that is, eliminating import-related costs, the factory will reduce the price per syringe by as much as 10%. Affordability also will improve because Nigerian distributors will be able to purchase the syringes with local currency, rather than foreign-currency reserves. Finally, the Factory's not-for-profit operational structure will ensure the lowest possible prices for the AD syringes.
The factory's numerous other benefits will include the following:
• Local jobs and skills training: The factory will have 300-plus employees, all local people.• Transfer of technology – principally, the Start K1 AD Syringe – to Africa. • Beneficial use of local raw materials and other locally-available resources.• Increased local self-reliance.
Noting that the factory, at full production capacity, will meet only about 20% of Nigeria's needs for AD Syringe, the Governor has pledged his support for the expansion of the Plant to produce up to 500 Million Syringes per annum, as well as to enable the production of needles in Nigeria.
For more information, contact:Mr. Amenya E. Wokoma, Executive Secretary, PAHF NigeriaPhone: +234 (0) 84 612802. E-mail: awokoma@pahf.org. Or visit PAHF's Web site: www.pahf.org
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This is the kind of good news that we all crave to hear from Nigeria, the giant of Africa. I am proud of this development. And I say kudos to Obasanjo and the former Rivers States Governor - Peter Odili because they are the ones that made this factory become a reality. We wish to hear this sort of good news more often from Nigeria.Yaradua should note that if you have a dream to acheive something say in 15 years time, you start to work now, or else your dreams cant become reality. This factory has taken 4 years to come to fruition. Its planning "dreaming" might have taken longer. If yaradua continues to dream about his Vision 20/20 without doing anything now, He simply will not realise anything near that dream.