SEPLAT Energy, Nigeria’s leading energy company, conducted its annual ‘Eye Can See’ flagship program in partnership with NNPCLtd, treating approximately 2,000 individuals with eye-related ailments.
The event, held at the Oba of Benin Palace grounds in Benin City, Edo State capital, is part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
The program includes screening patients for prescription eyeglasses, performing eye surgeries for cataracts, and providing medication for patients. Since its inception in 2012, the initiative has been instrumental in providing over 90,000 surgeries, distributing more than 45,000 prescription glasses, and screening hundreds of thousands of individuals.
SEPLAT’s Managing Director, Roger Brown, highlighted the company’s commitment to improving eye care and overall healthcare in the community. The event underscores SEPLAT’s dedication to corporate citizenship and making a positive impact on the lives of Nigerians.
“Eye Can See, as you know, is SEPLAT Energy Plc flagship programme. It is our eye Health CSR programme. It is designed to provide quality eye healthcare to people around the areas where we operate and that is why every year, we spend a lot of money to ensure that the programme is extended to people that are within our communities and in places like the palace that is associated with the communities by extension because this place falls within the realm and kingdom of our Royal father, the Oba of Benin.
“So, SEPLAT and our JVC partners, we are committed to continuing with this programme and that is why we are here this year, and all we can ask for from you all here is to continue to cooperate with us as well as to continue to take advantage this programme offers and to help spread the news round for others to also take advantage of the programme for healthy eye care.
“We have been doing this programme over the years and we have done more than 90,000 surgeries and provided more than 45,000 prescription glasses and also screened a lot of people. Those screened are hundreds of thousands.
“We don’t just treat the ailment or do the surgery, we also try to take care of the things that can lead to eye defect such as diabetes, high blood pressure and other related diseases.
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“So, it is a programme that takes comprehensive health of the people by providing drugs for such ailment because if you are treating them and you still have those things the ailment will continue.
“It is a comprehensive programme that we offer to take care of comprehensive health care of the people.
“We have spent millions of naira and dollars because some of the items come from outside the country. But we are concerned about the impact on our host community because the people who can’t afford medical care, and surgery are taken care of and we have seen the lives of people being transformed”, Otokhine stated.
One of the beneficiaries, Stanley Akhere, 57, said he had been having eye problems in the last 15 years “but today I can see clearly.”
“I have been to the hospital for treatment but I have not been able to do due to high cost.
“I thank Seplat for the programme because I am able to see again through their programme.
“I have been to other hospitals. At a Hospital I visited about three years ago, the cost of eye surgery was about N150,000 but now I heard that the cost is between N350,000 and N400,000.
TheWitness
