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Health

Eye care: NGO screens 52,647 children in Plateau

Eye care: NGO screens 52,647 children in Plateau
By Blessing Odega
Outreach
Jos, Feb. 14, 2019 (NAN) Seeing Is Believing (SIB), an NGO, says it has screened 52,647 children with eye impediments in the last one year in Plateau.
Mr William Eboh, the Cluster 2 Coordinator of SIB, disclosed this on Thursday in Jos during a one-day capacity building workshop for media practitioners on child health.
According to him, the organisation had conducted 290 surgeries and provided 3,000 people with free glasses
He also revealed that the programme conducted 134 paediatric cataract surgeries and 156 other surgeries, with paediatric glaucoma surgeries inclusive, at absolutely no cost.
He said that the programme had a target to give out 29,884 glasses, 63 low vision devices and 688 surgeries to be conducted in 2019.
Similarly, he pointed out that 53,646 children have so far benefited from the free eye-screening conducted in schools in the 17 local government areas of the state.
The coordinator said that 503 refractive glasses and 2,534 glasses had been given to the affected children.
He disclosed that plans are currently on-going to mainstream children with low vision in special schools to the conventional schools, saying such children with the right device can see and perform optimally.
According to the coordinator, the objective of the SIB is to develop skilled and adequate manpower and to provide comprehensive child- eye-health service at various levels of healthcare delivery system in the state.
The coordinator, however, said that the programme had encountered some challenges such as limited public awareness on child healthcare.
Eboh also revealed that there is also limited awareness about their services which is absolutely free of charge.
He maintained that SIB is seeking collaboration with the media to ensure that the parents and guardians who have wards with any form of eye impediment, access their free services as no child is meant to go blind due to avoidable and treatable eye diseases.
He disclosed that the aim of the workshop is to bring to the fore factors that are responsible for childhood blindness and to seek advocacy with the media to create more awareness on ways to mitigate such factors.
Eboh explained that the programme, tagged “The comprehensive child-eye-health”, began in 2017 and would end in 2020. (NAN)
UBO/OSA/MST
Edited by Shittu Obassa/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Optometrists urge establishment of eye centres in Primary Healthcare Centres

PHCs

By Lydia Ngwakwe
Lagos, Oct. 16, 2018 (NAN) The Lagos Chapter of the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) says there is need for Lagos State Government (LASG) to establish eye care centres at its upgraded Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the state.

According to the association, this step will help to ensure that people, especially those at the grassroots have access to good eye care.

The State Chairman of NOA, John Samssedi made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

“The primary healthcare centres will not be useful without having an eye care personnel on board.

“Government said it has revamped 73 out of the 300 PHCs in Lagos State; however, it will not be useful if it is revamped without having an eye care personnel on board.

“Currently there are about nine engaged on locum basis; so if they can increase it, it will be great.’’

Samssedi said:“If they can have more internship programmes for the General Hospitals and have more optometrists engaged at the primary healthcare level, then we will indeed be taking eye care to the grassroots.

“This is because it is not just dealing with the elite alone who can take care of themselves but about an average Nigerian.

“We are talking about Nigerians living in Ikorodu, Igbogbo, Epe and the likes, who may not be able to access the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and other secondary facilities because of the crowd and time.’’

He said the centres should also be fully equipped with doctors to treat people for any kind of sickness and at an affordable bill.

Samssedi also urged governments to improve on the welfare of doctors as Nigerian doctors were willing to work if well taken care of.

He said that most of the time when doctors have had to go on strike, it had been to press home their demands for the interest of the masses and save the healthcare delivery system from malfunctioning.

He commended the state government for putting structures on ground for a better healthcare system, but urged it to take further steps and improve on what is currently on ground. (NAN)
LED/VIV/PDE
==========
(Editing by Vivian Ihechu/Peter Ejiofor)

Health

NGO provides free eye care to 477 persons

NGO provides free eye care to 477 persons
By Deborah Coker
(08035927476, 08055855324
cokerdeborah@yahoo.com)
Eye
Abudu (Edo), June 27, 2018 (NAN) No fewer than 477 persons have so far benefited from a free medical eye care service provided by Care Vision Support Initiative (CAVSI), an NGO, at Abudu, Orhiomwon Local Government Area of Edo.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the medical outreach was provided by CAVSI in conjunction with the TY Danjuma Foundation.
According to Dr Tolulope Afolaranmi, the Team Leader of the group, no fewer than 2000 persons are expected to benefit from the five-day programme which commenced on Monday.
Afolaranmi said that the beneficiaries were from the 574 patients so far registered.
He also said that whereas 150 persons were expected to undergo various form of cataract extraction surgeries, about 75 persons have so far undergone such.
He explained that out of the 75 surgeries done, 52 were for cataract extraction, while 23 were Pterigium excisions.
He also said that 402 persons have benefited from various forms of eye care services including drugs, while 400 of the figure were also issued free medical corrective glasses out of the 1,000 targeted presbyopia cases.
The team leader said that the essence of the exercise was for the down trodden who could not afford medical services to take care of their problems to be reached.
He expressed optimism that at the end of the five days, the expected target would be reached or even surpassed, stressing that all expenses had been funded by the TY Danjuma Foundation.
He disclosed that the cost of the surgeries in hospitals varies between N20,000 and N80,000 depending on the degree of operation and the hospitals or eye care centres.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke with NAN commended the initiative while also praying for the sponsor of the exercise.
They urged other elites in the society to emulate the kind gesture of the sponsor.
Some of the beneficiaries of the cataract surgeries include Mr Osagie Efan from Igbanke, who said he was operated 10 years ago on the left eye, but discovered after some time that he could no longer see with his right eye, until he was operated by this team on June 25.
Mrs Elizabeth Izekor, a beneficiary from Benin, said she has been unable to see with her two eyes for five years now.
She said she was asked to pay N80,000 for surgery at the Daughters of Charity medical facility, but since she could not raise the money, she continued living with the blindness until her surgery by the CAVSI team on Tuesday.
Mrs Janet Imalere and Mr John Eboigbodi from Abudu were also beneficiaries of the free eye surgeries.
NAN reports that the team had earlier at the palace of the Enogie of Evbobanosa, HRH Gregory Akenzua, where the monarch commended the initiative and pledged the support of the traditional institution toward the success of the exercise in the area. (NAN)
DCO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola