Wednesday 15 July 2020

Minister for Health & HIV/AIDS Jelta Wong has extended his gratitude, on behalf of government,  to the petroleum company, Oil Search Limited,  for continuously assisting   the country  in times of natural disasters.

He made  his remarks when receiving the  Personal  Protective Equipment (PPE) from Oil Search, to  combat  the COVID-19 pandemic within the  country.

The  critical personal protective equipment will be  distributed across hospitals and medical clinics in consultation with the National Department of Health (NDOH) and Provincial Health Authorities (PHAs) in Hela, Southern Highlands and the Gulf Provinces.

This assistance complements the work  that Oil Search medical services team and Oil Search Foundation are already providing in these areas.

Oil Search Managing Director, Dr Keiran Wulff commended the PNG Government’s disciplined and considered response to protecting the country from the COVID-19 pandemic which has restricted the potential for widespread outbreaks in PNG.

“The government’s efforts have also enabled PNG’s resource companies to work closely with the government to ensure that the industry continues to operate efficiently under the government’s COVID-19 guidelines during these challenging times.”

Dr Wulff said the hospital grade equipment to be distributed includes over 250,000 disposable masks, 100,000 medical hats, 100,000 medical gloves, 10,000 face shields and 5 million millilitres of hand sanitizer.

“We look forward to working in close partnership with the National Department of Health and PHAs to deliver PPE supplies in Hela, Southern Highlands and the Gulf Province and the support provided through the donation of PPE is hoped to play an important role in helping to prevent and minimise any potential spread of COVID-19.

“We will work with the authorities to ensure that what we have provided is distributed through the PHA’s own system, aligned with their COVID-19 emergency plans.”

Oil Search has taken extensive steps to ensure safe and reliable operations in response to COVID-19.

“Having recognised early the potential for incidences of COVID-19 to escalate globally, the company formed a dedicated COVID-19 Taskforce charged with taking measures to minimise the potential for the virus to impact our people, operations and the communities in which we operate.

“These measures include suspending discretionary activity, demobilising non-essential staff from the field, implementing revised field rotations for expatriate staff, establishing quarantine zones in the field and isolating business essential personnel, increasing medical and field supplies and introducing infectious disease protocols,” Dr  Wulff said.

Oil Search Limited was incorporated  in January 1929, and  has grown into PNG’s largest single investor and most active explorer, operating all the country’s producing oil fields and holding an extensive appraisal and exploration portfolio.

Its 29 per cent interest in the ExxonMobil-operated PNG LNG Project has transformed Oil Search into a regionally significant oil and gas producer. The company also holds material interests in the Elk-Antelope and P’nyang gas fields and is undertaking a range of activities to support further LNG expansion in PNG. Oil Search also holds world class oil assets in Alaska’s prolific North Slope.

 

Media contact: Chief Superintendent Dominic D. Kakas, BEM, DPS

COVID-19 Media & Public Information Joint Agency Task Force

Mobile: 75430557: Email: ddkakas@gmail.com