Five million persons living across the country with preventable eye defects are being targeted for free treatment and eye glasses by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
National Coordinator, National Eye Health Programme ( NEHP), Dr Oteri Eme Okolo disclosed this on Wednesday in Okene, Kogi State during the flag off of the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative, Nigeria, tagged, JIGI Bola Two Point Zero.
According to him, this will be achieved by the ministry through various programmes in collaboration with partners under the NEHP.
Okolo stated that good and clear eyesight was pivotal to attainment of the SDGs, hence curbing avoidable sight losses was a commitment of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led government through implementation of national policies on eye health for the nation.
She said by prioritizing eye health and vision correction, human capital could be properly harnessed for the growth of the country.
According to Doctor Okolo, one of the objectives of the JIGI Bola 2.0 initiative is to ensure that citizens with preventable eye defects as well as the elderly can have the vision to engage in their day to day activities without hindrance.
In a goodwill message, Executive Secretary, Kogi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Abubakar Yakubu noted that the agency had trained 200 health personnel in 4 LGAs of Kogi to provide basic eye screening and care.
Also, Executive Secretary, Kogi State Health Insurance Agency, Dr Adekunle Aledare said the agency was providing eye care and glasses to enrollees under the scheme.
While flagging off the JIGI Bola Two Point Zero, Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo expressed concern that about 24 million Nigerians were experiencing some form of sight loss largely due to avoidable causes such as cataract and refractive errors.
Represented by the Commissioner for Health, Doctor Adam Abdulazeez Adeiza, he explained that the prevalence of blindness stood at 3.5 per cent according to the Nigeria blindness and visual impairment survey.
He said NEHP initiative would increase access to eye care services among the people of the state.
The governor reiterated that his administration placed high premium on quality, accessible and affordable healthcare, resulting in the strengthening of healthcare system, enrolling more beneficiaries in the state health insurance and social welfare services.
Beneficiaries of the initiative, including the elderly and Persons Living with Disabilities appreciated government for the gesture.
They noted that the glasses would go a long way in improving their eye sight. (vitalnewsngr.com)
