…Set to upgrade medical facilities
By: Felix Ikpotor
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has disclosed of plans to carry out a health audit in Ogoniland in Rivers State, to ascertain the effect of prolonged exposure by the people to hydrocarbons.
Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Dr Ferdinand Giadom, disclosed this to newsmen at an event in Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of the state.
Giadom said the interventionist agency is desirous to carrying out the medical audit in compliance with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Report on Ogoniland.
He stated that the audit was a standard practice considering that wherever there was oil spillage, chronic diseases are usually detected among residents as a result of prolonged exposure to hydrocarbons.
“So, UNEP recommended that HYPREP carries out public health studies which will go into public health registries, so that we can understand the trend of prevalent diseases in Ogoni communities.
“Anywhere there is oil spill in the world; there are certain debilitating conditions or diseases that are associated with chronic, prolonged exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons.
“The diseases present themselves in a wide spectrum from low-end impacts to high-end impacts,” he said.
Giadom, who is an environmental geologist, said people who were exposed to ‘low-end’ hydrocarbon usually suffered anger issues, hormonal imbalance and miscarriage in pregnancy.
“The high-end impact results in diseases like cancer.
“To this end, HYPREP has also moved to begin the process of entering into our communities to interact with the people and take data.
“Information will also be gathered on the kind of disease conditions that are prevalent in our communities, so that we will find lasting solutions to these issues.
“So, in the coming days people will come to the communities to seek the medical condition of the people,” he said.
The HYPREP boss said health professionals have been engaged from research institutes from within and outside the Nigeria including indigenous Ogoni medical doctors, charging Ogonis to provide accurate information to health professionals, to enable them to make informed decisions.
Giadom used the occasion to announce plans by the agency to upgrade hospitals and medical centres in the four local government areas that make up Ogoniland, including Eleme, Gokana, Khana and Tai, to improve healthcare in the areas.
“Aside from rehabilitation, we shall also build some medical facilities.
“Presently, we are in the process of acquiring land to start building a hospital in Tai Local Government Area,” he added.
