Host Communities Get Medical Support

In a bid to control the possible health hazard the recent oil and gas leakage from its facility could cause  affected communities in Egiland, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (TEPNG) is carrying out a two-week mass free healthcare services in the area.

The healthcare services which kicked-off on April,  23 but was formally commissioned last Wednesday, at Obite, Onelga, would be on course until May 4, 2012.

Presenting an address at the ceremony, the company’s Deputy Managing Director (DMD), Port Harcourt district, Mr Denis Berthelot represented by the Deputy General Manager (DGM), Sustainable Development, Mr Cyprian Odum said the health-care project was a swift response of Total E&P to the challenges faced by the company in recent weeks.

“This mass free health-care project is special as it is the first time it is carried out for two consecutive weeks. The idea is essentially to support and strengthen health care delivery within the Egi Communities during these challenging moment of our operations. It is equally Total’s direct response to the 5th point in the demands of Egi people at the interactive stakeholders’ session held here in Obite on the 9th April, 2012″, Berthelot noted.

Stressing the health consciousness of the firm, he said the company believes strongly in the slogan that health is wealth, adding that it was for this reason it has sponsored various health programmes in its host communities over the years.

He pointed out that the mass free health-care project was among the numerous health programmes carried out to complement the preventive and curative health care delivery of the government

Other programmes sponsored by the company include the HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, Roll Back Malaria, Camcer awareness, Safe Motherhood programme, First Aid trainings, Basic Maternity training for traditional birth attendants, donation of drugs and medical consumables to health institutions in the area among others.

In his goodwill  message, the Monarch of Egiland, Eze Kingdom Elemchukwu Elenwa said the health care project shows Egi is in dilemma as they are not sure of what would happen the next minute.

He told the company to make known the measures it was putting in place to stop the under-ground leakage.

Mr Blessing Nwaerema, the company’s partnership Development Manager allayed Monarch’s fear on what the company has done to contain the leakage.

Some measures put in place by the company include stopping of production from the asset, shutting of neighbouring production wells and security, stopping of gas flow from the well  and drilling a relief well as well as possible safety measures taken to ensure that the people are duly protected against polluted water or air.

Vivian-Peace Nwinaene