A woman has regained her sight after undergoing surgery during a five-day free medical outreach in Bayelsa.
The outreach was organised by Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Ministry of Health and the Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation.
The Vision First Plus community health outreach commenced on Tuesday at the Opolo Community Health Centre in Yenagoa.
The programme targeted residents of the Opolo/Epie-Atissa Host Community Development Trust cluster and surrounding communities in Yenagoa Local Government Area.
One of the beneficiaries, Diepreye Ebimo, said she arrived at the health centre with both eyes closed and was unable to see clearly before undergoing surgery during the outreach.
Ebimo said she regained her sight after the surgery, expressing gratitude to the organisers for providing medical treatment and enabling residents to receive care for various ailments.
Mr Igo Weli, Vice President, Relations and Sustainable Development at Renaissance Africa Energy, said the outreach reflected the company’s commitment to improving health outcomes in its host communities.
Weli, who was represented by Mr Evans Krukrubo, General Manager, Government and Community Relations, said the initiative marked another milestone in bringing quality healthcare closer to residents and strengthening the company’s partnership with Bayelsa State.
He said the event was particularly significant given Renaissance’s long-standing partnership with the state through various sustainable development initiatives.
“This programme represents another important milestone in our collective journey to bring quality healthcare closer to the people.
“At Renaissance, we believe that sustainable development is most meaningful when it improves lives directly.
“This conviction underpins our investments in health, education, economic empowerment, infrastructure and capacity-building programmes across host communities.
“Our approach also aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
“These goals call for improved access to quality healthcare and stronger collaboration to advance sustainable development.
“Vision First Plus is one of the flagship programmes under our Health-in-Motion Initiative, a platform designed to take quality healthcare beyond hospital walls and directly into communities,” Weli added.
According to him, Vision First Plus embodies the company’s belief that quality healthcare should be accessible to everyone, rather than a privileged few.
The Bayelsa Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisebe, also commended Renaissance for collaborating with the state government to improve residents’ access to healthcare services.
Brisebe, who was represented by Dr Ebikapaye Okoyen, Director of Public Health, said the outreach aimed to improve the health and well-being of residents of the Opolo/Epie-Atissa community.
Dr Williams Appah, Executive Secretary of the Bayelsa State Primary Health Care Board, also commended the company for providing free medical services to residents of Opolo and surrounding communities.
The Paramount Ruler of Opolo Community, King Moneyman Ogborogbo, commended Renaissance for the intervention, saying residents with various medical conditions were receiving treatment during the outreach.
Ogborogbo, however, appealed for more healthcare workers at the community health centre, noting that Opolo had remained peaceful since oil was discovered there.
He said the community had never experienced any conflict over oil activities and deserved improved healthcare services to meet the needs of its growing population.
