By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Since its inception, Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited (SEEPCO) has been dedicated to providing essential healthcare services and support for its employees during emergencies across its work locations in Nigeria.
As one of Africa’s fastest-growing oil exploration and production companies, SEEPCO also prioritizes the well-being of its host communities, offering various healthcare outreach programs.
The company regularly organizes medical camps addressing health concerns such as malaria, typhoid, high blood pressure, cough, skin rashes, and other ailments.
These camps provide free consultations, medicines, and on-the-spot laboratory tests in several local government areas (LGAs).
Building on its commitment to healthcare, SEEPCO employees have taken an important step by establishing the SEEPCO Blood Donor Club.
The club’s primary objective is to create a reliable platform where the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee (LSBTC) and other healthcare providers can access blood donations in emergencies.
SEEPCO has long been working with non-profit organizations, particularly the V Care for Development (VCDF) Foundation, in partnership with the LSBTC and the Nigerian Red Cross Society.
These collaborations have focused on addressing critical blood shortages, meeting the urgent needs of emergency patients, mothers in childbirth, accident victims, and sick children by ensuring life-saving blood is available.
Since 2022, VCDF, in collaboration with the LSBTC, has organized annual blood donation drives, involving volunteers from SEEPCO. Through these efforts,
VCDF has contributed over 850 pints of blood to the state’s blood bank, benefiting more than 2,000 patients and their families. This significant achievement reflects VCDF’s unwavering commitment to saving lives and addressing Nigeria’s critical blood shortage challenges.
Dr. B. I. Osikomaiya, Executive Secretary of the LSBTC, praised the SEEPCO Blood Donor Club as a thoughtful initiative. She emphasized that the club’s creation aligns perfectly with the LSBTC’s goal of ensuring a safe, sufficient, and readily available blood supply across Lagos State.
“The establishment of a structured donor club will provide a dependable platform for mobilizing blood during critical times,” she noted.
Mrs. Olayinka Animashaun, Head of the Donor Recruitment Unit at LSBTC, also commended SEEPCO and VCDF for their dedication and highlighted the positive impact their efforts have had on public health.
She recommended that blood donation drives like the one with SEEPCO be held twice a year to help address the existing blood availability gap.
