Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Thursday, said it was set to diversify into the health sector.

The Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Maikanti Baru, who made this disclosure in Abuja, noted that the decision was in line with the corporation’s stand to stay afloat as a commercially viable entity.

According to a statement by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Ndu Ughamadu, Mr. Baru disclosed this while inaugurating the boards of the NNPC Medical Services Limited (NMSL) and the NNPC Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) Limited.

“My vision is to make NNPC a renowned Health Medical Services (HMS) provider globally. In the nearby future, we are committed to making our medical facilities a reference point for the provision of world-class health medical services in Africa and beyond,” he said.

The statement noted that following the recent restructuring of the NNPC, its Group Medical Services was realigned as a new venture non-core business entity, charged with the responsibility of creating new medical businesses that will generate revenue for the corporation.

The aim, according to the GMD, is to open up these medical facilities to other oil and gas organisations as well as other interested third party consumers for profitability.

Before now, the statement said, the NNPC Medical Services Division boasts of 52 clinics and hospitals spread across the corporation’s various locations across the country, providing services to staff and their family members.

Mr. Baru, however, charged the board members to provide the necessary direction to medical service delivery in the corporation in line with global best standards.

“It is going to be a new terrain for all of you. You must take advantage of the latest and most efficient technological advancement in healthcare service delivery,” he told the board members.

While urging the two boards to “carve a niche” for the NNPC Medical Services as a specialized medical service provider such as “Burns and Trauma Centre”, he also called on them to collaborate with the best partners as it is very critical towards service delivery.

In his remarks, the COO Ventures who is also the board chairman of the two organisations, Babatunde Adeniran, said that with this development, the NNPC was taking advantage of the new opportunities in the nation’s health sector.

“With this development, the existing NNPC Hospitals will compete for clients with other top class hospitals in locations where they operate hence quality of service would be improved,” Mr. Adeniran stated.