The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recorded an 82 per cent participation rate in the ongoing three-year human biomonitoring study being conducted among residents of Ogoni, Rivers State.
The lead researcher, Ann Olsson, disclosed this on Tuesday when she led members of the research team, including Mike Cowing, to the Project Coordination Office (PCO) to brief the Project Coordinator, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), on the study’s progress.
Olsson said the high participation rate reflected the enthusiasm and community inclusiveness that had greeted the study, which she said could help improve public health management and intervention models in Ogoni and beyond.
The study, funded by HYPREP, is expected to provide scientific data that could contribute to understanding the relationship between exposure to hydrocarbon contaminants and health outcomes among residents of Ogoni.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on the Ogoni environment had recommended a health inventory to establish possible correlations between disease patterns and exposure to hydrocarbon contaminants in the region.
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Meanwhile, HYPREP has continued with various public health interventions while the biomonitoring study is ongoing.
The interventions include the strengthening and upgrading of public health facilities at General Hospital, Bori, in Khana Local Government Area; General Hospital, Terabor, in Gokana; General Hospital, Nchia, in Eleme; and the Primary Health Centre, Kpite.
HYPREP has also installed modern medical equipment and a reliable solar power supply at the Primary Health Centre, Onne. Other facilities undergoing upgrades include General Hospital, Bodo, Gokana; Primary Health Centre, Nonwa, Tai; and the health facility at Lumene-Bangha, Khana.
The project is also constructing a 100-bed specialist hospital in Kpite, Tai Local Government Area, which is expected to have specialised units, including oncology and infectious diseases departments, as well as modern diagnostic equipment, including an MRI machine.
HYPREP also said a 43-bed cottage hospital in Buan, Khana Local Government Area, is ready for commissioning, while five emergency medical ambulances have been donated to selected public health facilities in Ogoni.
Other ongoing interventions include the construction of a hostel facility and renovation of the K-Dere Health Centre in Gokana Local Government Area to strengthen community-based healthcare services.
According to HYPREP, more than 10,000 residents have so far benefited from its medical outreach programmes in Ogoni.
