Over 5,000 residents in rural communities across Kolokuma/Opokuma and Okordia/Zarama in Bayelsa State are set to benefit from a seven-day community eye care and free medical outreach under the Vision First Plus programme.
The outreach is being organised by Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited and its joint venture partners in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Ministry of Health, Eye Sight Foundation, NNPC Limited, TotalEnergies and Agip Energy and Natural Resources (AENR).
The programme was officially flagged off in Kaima Community, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area.
Speaking at the opening ceremony held at Kaima Referral Hospital on Friday, the Vice President, Relations and Sustainable Development at Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, Mr Igo Weli, said the initiative was aimed at improving access to quality healthcare services for people in host communities.
“Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited and our joint venture partners—Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, TotalEnergies, and Agip Energy and Natural Resources—are proud to support this initiative,” he said.
Weli explained that the seven-day programme would deliver comprehensive eye care services and other medical support to residents, describing it as a key component of the company’s Health in Motion initiative which takes healthcare services closer to underserved communities.
He noted that vision remains one of the most important but often neglected aspects of health, stressing that good eyesight plays a critical role in education, livelihood and social participation.
“Our goal is not only to prevent avoidable blindness but to preserve the dignity, confidence, and independence that come with the gift of clear vision,” Weli stated.
He disclosed that about 2.2 billion people globally live with some form of visual impairment, adding that nearly half of such cases are preventable or treatable.
According to him, Nigeria accounts for about 24 million people living with visual impairment, largely due to cataracts and uncorrected refractive errors.
Weli further said findings from about 30,000 screenings conducted under the Health in Motion initiative over the last five years revealed that more than 60 per cent of participants had a visual disorder, prompting the company to sustain investment in preventive healthcare.
“Here in the Niger Delta alone, over 20,000 people have benefited from Vision First programmes,” he added.
He encouraged residents to take advantage of the outreach by getting screened and seeking early treatment, noting that preventive care remains essential in protecting lives.
Also speaking, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Health, Prof Seiyefa Brisibe, said the state government had continued to strengthen primary healthcare delivery to ensure functional health services across all wards.
“Under this administration, we have strengthened primary healthcare delivery with the objective of ensuring functional services across all wards in the state. We are consolidating gains in disease prevention,” he said.
Brisibe urged beneficiaries to fully utilise the services provided, stressing that early detection saves lives, reduces healthcare costs and improves productivity.
He also commended healthcare workers and volunteers involved in the programme, calling for professionalism and compassion in service delivery.
“As we continue the commissioning of new facilities across the state in the coming weeks, let us remember that the true measure of success is not the ribbons we cut, but the lives we transform; not the buildings we inaugurate, but the outcomes we improve,” he said.
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