Gladys Nweke
Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (TEPNG), has launched a healthcare awareness campaign to its rural communities in Rivers State.
The first phase of the week-long exercise tagged NNPC/TEPNG Mass Free Medical Service to communities in Opobo/Nkoro local government area of the state.
Speaking at the flag-off of the campaign at Opobo Town, headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro local government area of the state, TEPNG Deputy Managing Director, Francois Le-Cocq, said the company embarked on the exercise because it shares in the that ‘a healthy people make a wealthy nation.
Le-Cocq stated that it has become a culture of TEPNG to champion health related issues through various programmes that the company was involved in.
He listed some of firm’s preventive and curative public health intervention regimes to include; Healthy Living Awareness Campaign, Safe Motherhood Programme and HIV Awareness Programme as well as Capacity Building for Staff of Primary Health Care Centres.
The Deputy Managing Director, who was represented by the Community Affairs Manager (Offshore and Port Harcourt), Engr. Okechukwu Obara said in the cause of the medical awareness campaign, 450 patients have been treated.
He said, As a company, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, share in the universal saying that ‘a healthy people make a wealthy nation.
“This belief has propelled us to sustain the noble efforts of the Joint Venture to reach out to the critical needs of our people and support both preventive and curative health care delivery policies and programmes of government despite the challenging business environment.
“It, therefore, has become a culture for us to continue to champion health related issues through various programmes that we are involved in.
“We have continuously extended this valued culture to our host and neighbouring communities through our numerous preventive and curative health intervention regimes, such as Healthy Living Awareness Campaign, Safe Motherhood Programme and HIV Awareness Programme as well as Capacity Building for Staff of Primary Health Care Centres, to mention but a few.
“After two days of this programme, available statistics indicate that about 450 patients have so far been attended to. The breakdown of this figure indicates the of the 450 patients so far treated, 85 were pediatric cases, 112 Ophthalmological and four ante-natal cases.
“Furthermore, four patients have already undergone successful surgeries while others are awaiting further review preparatory for surgery. Surely, these figures will rise further as the days go by, a testimony that this programme is very popular and highly patronized by our people.”
In his speech, the Paramount Ruler of Opobo Kingdom and Chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, King Dandeson Douglas-Jaja, thanked TEPNG for the gesture.
Douglas-Jaja, who was represented by Alabo Princewill Wogo, Dappa VII, described the medical awareness campaign as the first of it’s kind and urged other multinational oil companies to emulate TEPNG.
