In Ethiopia, investment companies play significant role in conserving environment, improving infrastructural facilities and basic public services regardless of job creation. ECOS STEEL MILL PLC is among them. The Korean Steel company located in Dukem, Oromia state has begun production last year with a total capacity to produce 300,000MT steel per annum.
It is the company’s desire to serve the local community in the surrounding to provide infrastructural facilities and public services, said ECOS Chief Finance Officer Boyoung Kim.
The company recently organized a health service program in cooperation with various volunteer Korean and Ethiopian health professionals. The service is given at Dukem Health Center in Bishoftu, Oromia state closer to the steel factory. The community medical service is mainly intended to reach those who have no chance to get the treatment due to low income, Kim said.
Khalid Fitensa, a young Dukem resident has got a physiotherapy treatment that gave him relief from his back pain. It is a crucial opportunity to the people who couldn’t go far for such services to be treated here free of charge, he said. “The most exciting thing in the treatment was the Korean doctors were talking to me with my own language without translator”.
Even some patients who have money face extra suffering for having no information about the right health institution to their sickness. However, such services will improve health even by saving time, energy and money, according to him. It is not only Khalid that got free medical service at the center, but hundreds of residents of the town also got relief from their pain in the service that stayed for four days. According to Tamirat Mamo, Dukem Health Center Director the service helped the town’s residents to get free medical treatment and hundreds were visiting the center each day.
The service that has been given by more than 20 Korean doctors in various specialties including physiotherapy, dental, neurosurgery treatment helped the center to draw lesson and serve many patients, as to Tamirat.
Doctor Jung Taik Junm is a dentist from Korea Hospital in Addis Ababa. He used the opportunity to serve more peoples without payment. As to him, keeping the health and smiles of Ethiopians is a service to him to payback the sacrifice that Ethiopians paid in the Korean War. He had been serving about 15 Ethiopians with dental extraction and implant treatments each day. He believed that similar programs ought to be expanded and made accessible to many Ethiopians.
According to Kim, the ECOS has planned to offer additional similar health service in every three months. “It is part of the community services that the company provides to the surrounding community.”
As to Kim, more than 30 houses became electrified with the support of the company. On the other hand, ECOS is also working to strengthening the people to people relations between Ethiopia and Korea. The company in collaboration with the embassy of Korea in Addis Ababa has set a plan to organize a three-day long Taekwondo competition program where the peoples are expected to participate.
The company has spent about hundred thousands of dollars to the program. It is working to transfer new technology and skills for the country and keep far from any kind of environmental pollution. In producing more rebar and substitute 37.5 percent from Ethiopia’s rebar import. This would help the country to curb foreign currency shortages, Kim noted.
It is not only ECOS; there are several companies in Ethiopia that have keen interest to invest on community services besides to their major objectives. Allana abattoir, an Indian meat processing company located in Adami Tulu, Oromia has been expressing its plan to extensively support the surrounding community.
The company has a capacity to slaughter 200 cattle and 5,000 sheep per day. Among this, the whole waste product contained of head, inner organs and blood among others will be processed, exported and granted to the community. Due to this, totally, millions of dollars will be spent on the community based services.
Therefore, as a country that has numerous local companies investing billions of dollars, utilizing them to facilitate the need of society in the surroundings where the companies are located is a wise act to reach to the wide area and numerous population of the country. On the other hand, working with the community would help the companies to enhance their productivity by installing sense of belongingness among the youth.
The Ethiopian Herald October 15, 2019
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
