NNPC Foundation empowers 1,00O residents with free cataract surgeries

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NNPC Foundation empowers 1,00O residents with escaped cataract surgeries

Julius Osahon, Yenagoa

Over 1,000 residents successful Bayelsa State person truthful acold received escaped cataract surgeries and treatments astatine the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Foundation South South Free Cataract Screening and Extraction Surgeries programme.

The programme began past week astatine the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Yenagoa, the authorities capital.

The foundation, a non-profit making concern of the NNPC had earlier commenced screening for beneficiaries of the escaped cataract surgeries connected April 1st, 2025, earlier the ceremonial flag-off.

Speaking astatine the occasion, Mrs. Emmanuella Arukwe, Managing Director of the foundation, said the instauration is embarking connected the Cataract screening and extraction programme crossed the six (6) geopolitical zones of Nigeria, to apprehension prevalent imaginativeness impairment and blindness crossed the state caused by Cataract, and wide to amended and fortify the wellness of the communities.

Represented by Mr. Jude Ayalogu, Manager, Health Services successful the foundation, Mrs. Arukwe, said cataracts stay 1 of the starring causes of blindness globally and relationship for astir 50% of blindness cases successful Nigeria according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

She said, “In agrarian and underserved areas, constricted entree to prime oculus attraction exacerbates this situation and galore individuals unrecorded with avoidable blindness due to the fact that they cannot spend oregon entree the attraction they need.

“The situation is not conscionable a wellness contented – it is simply a societal and economical crisis, arsenic imaginativeness nonaccomplishment impacts productivity, independence, and wide prime of life.

“At NNPC Foundation, we admit that show is much than conscionable a sense; it is simply a cardinal pillar of quality dignity and opportunity. This knowing forms the instauration of our outreach programme.”

She emphasised that NNPC Foundation volition proceed to supply enactment for accessible, affordable, and sustainable healthcare for Nigerians crossed the geopolitical zones.

Flagging disconnected the program, the Bayelsa archetypal woman and woman to the Governor, Mrs. Gloria Diri, portion commending NNPC for their committedness to improving wellness attraction successful Nigeria, said Cataract is simply a important nationalist wellness situation successful Nigeria.

Mrs. Diri said she was impressed by the elephantine stride by the NNPC to combat blindness deliberately and intentionally, particularly successful Bayelsa State and the south-south region.

She urged Bayelsans to instrumentality vantage of the programme and assistance dispersed the quality to communities beyond the authorities capital

Earlier successful his invited address, the Medical Director, FMC, Dr. James Omietimi, appreciated the NPC instauration for taking up the situation to tackle the menace and to reconstruct the imaginativeness and anticipation of galore successful this portion of the world.

He said “Choosing FMC Yenagoa for this programme is simply a privilege and honour to the hospital. I volition usage this accidental to telephone connected different partners alike to emergence up to the situation to tackle different life-threatening diseases, particularly, present that overseas assistance is being cut.

“The oculus is the airy of the assemblage and erstwhile determination is simply a distortion successful imaginativeness it greatly impacts one’s life. Restoring one’s imaginativeness is restoring the airy of the body.”