NDDC boosts health in Niger Delta states

Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has commenced the distribution of fixed vaccine cold rooms, mobile solar/battery-powered vaccine cold chains, and drugs to the ministries of health in the Commission’s mandate states as part of efforts to improve the health of the people.

Already, the Rivers State Ministry of Health has taken delivery of its stock, while those for the other eight states are ready for distribution.

Ibim Semenitari, NDDC acting managing director, who announced the donation after inspecting the items at the Commission’s warehouse in Port Harcourt, said the NDDC would continue to partner communities, local and state governments to help address medical challenges.

She said: “We will assist as best as we can to ensure that our people are healthy. The mobile Solar/Battery-powered vaccine cold chains are meant to take the vaccines from the fixed ones to remote areas and still maintain the cold temperature for the vaccines to ensure that they were in perfect condition.”

The NDDC boss said good health was a very important factor to development and stated that NDDC would continue to work to ensure that the people of the Niger Delta region enjoyed good health in order to get the full benefits of the Commission’s efforts to facilitate regional development.

She also inspected drugs to be dispatched to Soku community in Akuku Toru Local Government of Rivers State, as part of on-going intervention by the Commission to help check a recent cholera outbreak in the area.

Semenitari noted that apart from being a far-flung island, it was also an oil-producing community in the Niger Delta, adding that because of their environment, the people of Soku hardly had the benefit of quick interventions.

Semenitari said: “When we were notified about the cholera outbreak, we quickly dispatched our medical team and sent in some initial medical supplies. The cold chain and the other supplies are additional to make sure that the outbreak is fully contained. We noticed that vaccines come in and they are not properly stored to ensure that they are delivered to the end users at the appropriate temperatures. NDDC is determined to change that.”

A representative of the Soku community, Christian Otiasah, expressed gratitude to the NDDC for responding promptly to the distress call of the Soku people over the outbreak of cholera in their area. He said that his people were not surprised by the action of the Commission, led by Semenitari, because she had always shown interest in the affairs of the people.

Otiasah also appealed for assistance in the area of electricity for the community to help with the intervention, describing Soku as an old repository of oil and gas. “We are looking forward to getting a 500 KVA electricity generator from the NDDC,” he appealed.