No fewer than 4,218 patients have benefited from free cataract surgery and eye care programme carried out by Seplat Energy within 12 years in Edo and Delta State.
This was disclosed by the Director, External Affairs and Sustainability of the company, Chioma Afe, in Benin during the organisation’s free medical care termed ‘Eye Can See’, carried out in collaboration with its partner, NNPC Exploration and Production.
She said the initiative was designed to ensure the provision of eye care and visual treatment for cataracts and other relayed eye problems among the members of its host communities in Edo and Delta states.
“As part of our corporate social responsibility to host communities, we started the free eye care initiative in 2012 and directly, we have screened 96,000 patients in communities of Edo and Delta states”.
“We have performed surgery on over 4,218 patients in the last 12 years, while over 45,000 have been given reading glasses. At this year’s programme, we performed 21 eye surgeries successfully and 35 others have been scheduled for surgery”.
Chioma explained that this year’s programme is going on simultaneously in about 90 communities in 13 different centres in Edo and Delta states, adding that the exercise would run for one month.
She said the programme was in collaboration with its partners and seeks to achieve quality healthcare for host communities by providing a platform for managing and referring patients living with hypertension and diabetes, which are known to be underlying factors that can lead to eye problems.
The Director, New Energy, Seplat Energy Plc, Effiong Okon, on his part, said the free treatment, which is under Seplat’s social development priority is meant to improve access to energy in local communities, increase community employment, forester local entrepreneurship, health and education.
The Deputy Manager Community Relations, Mrs AJakaye Emily Ladi, who represented the Managing Director, NNPC E & P Limited, Ali Zarah, said the programme is designed to provide free Eye Care, Visual aid and Surgical treatment for Cataract, Glaucoma and other eye diseases within the NNPC E&P Limited/Seplat operational communities.
Meanwhile, Chief Stanley Obamwonyi, a representative of Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, while commending Seplat Energy for the programme, urged them to sustain it for the benefit of the host communities and other stakeholders.
Credit: The PUNCH
