SEARCH
 

Public Health Programs

At many of our operating sites, especially in developing regions of the globe, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. supports comprehensive public health programs to strengthen communities and safeguard the health of our employees. PT Freeport Indonesia is a leading partner in curative and preventive health care services in Mimika Regency in the southern Papua province in Indonesia. PT Freeport Indonesia supplements government health services for the whole population of Mimika District with financing, infrastructure and personnel support.

Each year, PT Freeport Indonesia works with local government agencies and the Amungme and Kamoro Community Development Institution (LPMAK) to provide a variety of health care services to the local community. We fund two fully operational hospitals and seven primary health centers, which provide outpatient care and consultations totaling between 150,000 and 200,000 patient visits and inpatient care to 10,000 to 12,000 hospital patients every year. Additionally, we provide maternal and child health programs and health education programs, free X-ray and laboratory services at the local government clinic in Timika, and clean water supply for a number of sponsored communities.

Fighting diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, is increasingly important. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that Indonesia has an estimated incidence of 627,000 tuberculosis (TB) patients resulting in 143,000 deaths per year, making Indonesia third in the WHO list of high-burden countries. The province of Papua has also been victim to the emergence of drug-resistant strains of malaria. PT Freeport Indonesia is addressing these challenges by supporting quality health care programs. We have also supported major international malaria drug studies in the local area.

PT Freeport Indonesia’s Public Health and Malaria Control (PHMC) program provides primary health care to the members of seven Papuan ethnolinguistic groups residing in the communities that neighbor the mining operations. PHMC has continuously implemented for nearly two decades an internationally recognized malaria control program within the PT Freeport Indonesia Contract of Work area and its surroundings. The four pillars of this malaria control program involve prompt diagnosis and treatment; indoor residual spraying; and environmental management, mosquito monitoring and larval control. Health education, community awareness, and personal protection complete the integrated program.

In 2006, PHMC provided indoor residual spraying of insecticides for 7,000 households, distributed almost 5,000 long-lasting insecticide treated bed-nets, maintained and cleaned 200 kilometers of drainage, and detected and treated over 50,000 malaria cases.

Our comprehensive tuberculosis control program diagnoses and treats about 400 TB cases annually in Timika with a cure rate of 93.3 percent, which exceeds the WHO standard of 85 percent. The treatment provided through the PHMC program is free to all Mimika residents.

With cases of HIV/AIDS on the rise globally, we work to protect our employees and communities from this devastating disease. The HIV prevention program that we have developed for Timika provides free diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections; voluntary counseling and testing for HIV; free care, support and treatment programs in two hospitals; the monthly distribution of 14,000 condoms; and health education to employees, communities, schools and government institutions.

As we develop operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we are working with local health agencies and nongovernmental organizations to develop and implement public health programs, including malaria control, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS initiatives. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.has just completed an extensive baseline health survey conducted by ISOS in our Tenke Fungurume Mining area. Tenke Fungurume Mining installed clean water wells in 10 villages during 2007 and will expand the program to all 41 villages in the mining concession during 2008.

In Peru, the Cerro Verde mine focuses on providing health education programs and campaigns on hygiene and sanitation, disease and illness prevention, and mother/child nutrition. The mine has also helped fund a new cancer center at a local hospital. In 2007, the site began a baseline study on health status of local citizens in the area, which will be completed in 2008. In Chile, the El Abra mine has supported a dental health program called “Sonrisa de Minero” or “Smile of a Miner.” This initiative benefited 110 artisanal miners of Tocopilla, Taltal, Antofagasta and Calama and included a dental treatment for correcting functional problems and improving oral aesthetics caused by the lack of dental pieces. The program improved participants’ ability to eat, which improved overall health in addition to improving aesthestics, self esteem and social integration.

In North America, our corporate Foundation has supported a drug abuse education and prevention program in each of its five Arizona operating communities. A serious public health concern, drug abuse had been identified as a priority concern among community stakeholders. Working with the Partnership for a Drug Free Arizona, we have implemented parent training and distributed educational materials to assist parents, teachers and other adult leaders in talking to youth about drugs and drug abuse prevention.

BACK TO TOP