…Ogoni Specialist Hospital under construction – Prof Zabbey

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – AS the health of Nigerians remains a cardinal to the Tinubu-led administration, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, provided quality medical intervention to the people of Ogoni Land.

The intervention according to the Project Coordinator, HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, the Project deemed it fit to ensure the people access quality healthcare services at this time.

According to Zabbey, on December 16, 2024 HYPREP commenced the free medical outreach, which is basically a Special Purpose Vehicle, SPV, and number of beneficiaries from four Local Government Areas was huge.

He said: “We are implementing all the recommendations of the UNEP Report and going outside to doing what is necessary following the emergence of new things.”

He also made it known that at the Nchia General Hospital, over 60 patients went through cataract operation and additional patients took the number to over 100, which he granted an extension.

Nchia General Hospital, was the venue for the Project’s free medical outreach, including medical services and surgical operations for cataract, hernia, and fibroid patients.

Meanwhile, the HYPREP boss explained that Ogoni people will access quality healthcare services through HYPREP’s public health programmes and interventions, and assured the Project’s determination is to make life comfortable for them with its medical interventions.

He also assured that the Buan Cottage and 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospitals under construction would soon be completed and begin healthcare delivery services to Ogoni people.

He further stated that Primary Healthcare Centres, OHCs, in Bodo, Gokana LGA; Taabaa, Khana LGA; Nonwa, Tai LGA; and Onne, Eleme LGA would be boosted as the construction of a hostel and renovation of the K-Dere Health Centre would soon promote community medicine in the region.

The Project Coordinator also told the people that more public health programmes and projects would be rolled out and completed in 2025.

“We are doing extra things, including conducting research and building the Ogoni Specialist Hospital.

“We feel it is important to advance access to medicare. We will continue to do our best to broaden the scope of our interventions based on the needs of the people while also implementing the UNEP Report”, he said.

He also added that with the start of the Public Health Study of Ogoni, which the International Agency for Research in Cancer-World Health Organization, WHO, would conduct in partnership with local institutions.

However, he (Zabbey) said the human biomonitoring study is expected to run for three years.

According to the PC, the Project is providing value addition in its public health interventions beyond the recommendations of the UNEP Report on Ogoni Land, and pointed out that a combination of HYPREP’s interventions in addressing environmental concerns, potable water provision, job creation and livelihood serves a holistic approach to boosting the people’s healthcare needs.

Meanwhile, he disclosed that HYPREP is into collaboration with the Drosophila Institute, University of Ibadan, basically to carry out cutting edge research that would establish a correlation between the impact of hydrocarbon contamination on Ogoni people.

He also expressed optimism that the collaboration will contribute significantly to the advancement of the knowledge of medicine in relation to hydrocarbon contamination globally.

Prof Zabbey maintained that the Project is implementing the UNEP Report based on the needs of Ogoni people.