More than 200 persons from Izombe and the adjoining communities in Oguta local government area of Imo State heaved a sigh of relief weekend, following their successful eye surgeries carried out free of charge by a team of medical specialists sponsored by Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc.
Similarly, over 700 persons that had their eyes tested for varying defects, smiled home with corrective glasses.
Addressing the patients, , Dr. Chioma Nwachukwu, the Company’s General Manager, External Affairs and Communications described the exercise as “the maiden edition of Seplat’s Eye Can See and Safe Motherhood programmes in our Eastern Assets Operations Area.”
According to Dr. Nwachukwu, “these programmes are focused on providing comprehensive, quality and free healthcare to members of Seplat’s host communities and are in conformity with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, SDG3.”
Rolling out their previous success stories in Edo and Delta States, Nwachukwu said: “In the Eye Can See programme, 49,109 patients were screened, 22,173 glasses dispensed to patients and 2,226 surgeries successfully carried out on patients, while in the Safe Motherhood programme, 13,746 women have benefitted and 1,500 children received pneumococcal vaccination.”
Speaking also, Dr. Austin Avuru, Seplat’s Chief Executive Officer, CEO, said that the communities where they operate remained as important as the government that gave them the licence to operate and the company’s shareholders.
“When we get into any community, we do not give handouts. We leave a trail of good deeds behind. We will be here every year to perform surgeries on those who need it. This is supplementary to our normal agreement with the community,” Aturu said.
Apart from the surgeries, another highlight of the day was the symbolic handover maternal kits to pregnant mothers, by the state governor’s wife, Mrs. Nkechi Okorocha.
