More than 3,000 people across Niger State have been screened for eye conditions in the free eye care programme designed to tackle blindness by Niger State Government and Qatar Charity Nigeria.
Launching the eye programme yesterday, Niger State Government said it would cover eye screening, medication, prescription glasses and sight-restoring cataract surgeries, using modern technology being used in the state for the first time.
The Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba, who launched the event on behalf of Governor Mohammed Bago at the Senator Dr. Idris Ibrahim Kuta Memorial Primary Health Care Centre, Minna, said the free eye care programme was giving residents more than money by restoring their sight.
He appealed to Qatar Charity Nigeria and Middle East Clinic, Kano, to extend and sustain their free eye care intervention in the state, warning that many residents in need of treatment could be left out.
He expressed concern that the publicity for the outreach did not reach rural communities where many people neither own phones nor have access to radio or the internet.
Garba described the programme as historic, saying it was more than a ceremonial event because it represented hope for people whose lives had been limited by blindness and visual impairment.
He praised the use of modern phacoemulsification technology, noting it enabled surgeons to complete more than 30 cataract surgeries within two hours.
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Murtala Bagana, described blindness, particularly cataracts, as one of the leading causes of avoidable disability, especially among rural and vulnerable populations.
He said the outreach was designed to bridge barriers created by poverty, distance and limited access to specialist eye care by bringing services directly to communities across Minna, Bida, Kontagora, Suleja and Kuta.
He said the exercise had already recorded significant achievements, with over 2,300 people screened, about 700 receiving prescription eyeglasses, more than 2,000 treated with medication and over 380 cataract patients identified for surgery.