As part of its In-Country Value (ICV) commitments, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has announced a number of social investment initiatives in the key areas of health, education, safety, and infrastructure.
By way of these investments, the total figure of which has not been made public, PDO is funding medical equipment expected to benefit thousands of residents, a new system to provide safe drinking water for a remote village, the refurbishment of schools’ science labs, and a road safety initiative using renewable energy.
PDO announced the list of projects at a signing ceremony of eight Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Omani community leaders at its Knowledge World complex last week. The event was attended by Saud bin Salim Al Balushi, undersecretary of Oman’s Ministry of Education for Educational Planning and Human Resources Development.
“PDO is committed to supporting Omani communities with targeted social investment to address specific needs,” PDO’s managing director Raoul Restucci, said.
“These latest MoUs will bring direct benefits to a number of people and good causes across the Sultanate and show that, notwithstanding the challenging economic environment, we are staying the course on our corporate social responsibility programme,” Restucci was quoted as saying in a press release.
PDO is funding the replacement of outdated echocardiography equipment for the regional hospital in Ibri, where heart failure is the third highest in Oman, with two machines. The machines will support the early diagnosis and treatment of approximately 2,400 cardiac cases per year.
PDO will also supply Haima and Al Jazir hospitals, which serve a joint population of 17,000 residents, with specialist medical apparatus which will replace outdated or unavailable equipment in various departments including general laboratory, dental, maternity, ophthalmology, paediatrics and radiology.
Additionally, the Omani NOC is supplying two new ambulances to the hospitals to help enhance their response time to health emergencies, including traffic accidents, which numbered 300 in their catchment area in 2016 alone.
Another project involves the funding of solar-powered lighting on the approaches to, and on, Al Mafraq roundabout in wilayat Al Jazir, a key traffic hub linking most major routes in South Oman. The project aims to increase road safety at night.
PDO has also responded to a request to replace the current water tank and piping infrastructure to provide safe drinking water to the village of Barsas in wilayat Thumrait benefiting around 140 people.
“Health and safety remain at the top of PDO’s priorities and the Company is committed to enhancing these areas both within the boundaries of our operations and beyond,” Restucci commented.
Furthermore, PDO is funding the refurbishment of science laboratories within three schools, catering for almost 1,000 students in PDO’s concession area in Mahoot, Al Duqum and Al Jazir. The new labs will create a suitable environment for the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, through hands-on experimentation and research work.
