By Egufe Yafugborhi

PORT HARCOURT – THE 2022 TotalEnergies free health programme has progresses into Ahoada, Ahoada East Local Government Area (LGA), Rivers state, with more beneficiaries sharing testimonies of being rescued from life threatening health disorders and risks they hitherto have been living me due to inability to afford the treatment cost.

After a week’s intervention at the Erema General Hospital, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area  (LGA) where several persons benefitted, the 2022NNPC/TEPNG Free Health for TotalEnergies operated Oil Mining Lease 58 host communities had by day in Ahoada carried out 31 surgeries, treated 100 persons for various eye defects and dsipensed 225 reading glasses.

In situation report on the Exercise Wednesday, Leader of the facilitating health team, Marnifield Allied Services, Dr. Akubuike Okara, said, “The programme this year partnered with Institute of Human Virology of Nigeria to provide mass HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 screening and vaccination of participants. Those found positive of these viral diseases will be immediately enrolled for treatment.

“In past two and half days of this free health rogramme, has attended to 1002 people, about 92 patients identified for surgery while 31 of them have already been operated on. Over 315 patients had eye screening, 225 reading glasses had been dispensed, while 100 eye patients had been treated for various eye conditions.

“It is projected that by end of this mission, over 3,500 persons would have been treated by the medical team. The attendance of this programme is widespread with people coming from Imo State, Abia State, Delta State, Edo State, Bayelsa State, and most LGAs of Rivers.”

An elated beneficiary, Chibuzor Dike, a Pastor from Ogba, attested that, “I had earlier tried to raise over N350,000 to deal with a hernia and other associated health issues. I’ve not been able to raise the money. Now I had the operations done free of charge yesterday successfully and I walked from my bed unaided almost immediately.

Uzoma Christopher, from Ahoada also shared the joy of being relieved of eye problem, just as Mrs Confidence Okoro also said, “My child had hernia. I was lucky to be one of those operated upon. He is okay now.”

TotalEnergies Manager, Capacity Development, noted that, “This is phase two of our mass free health for this year and we are quite happy with the feedback we are getting. The crowd we are seeing confirms that people truly need medical attention.

“In this one week programme, just in two and a half days, more that 1000 persons treated, 31 operations carried out is great feeling and have gone a long way to relieve the people. With two and a half days more to go, we enjoin beneficiaries to pass the message across the communities, to as many more persons to take advantage and get treated.

Chief Roland Ebelechi, representing His Majesty Eze Ekpeye Logbo III, Eze Kelvin Anugwo, thanked TotaEnergies for the effort while lamenting the acute shortage of facilities and personnel for effective regular health care at the General Hospital Ahoada.