By Palma Ileye
Kogi State Government in collaboration with Sightsavers Nigeria has developed a strategic plan to sustain eye health services towards the elimination of avoidable blindness in the State.
Governor, Ahmed Ododo stated this in Abuja at the Close-Out Ceremony of the Sightsavers project tagged: “Kogi State Eye Care Programme” which was a 5-Year effort to eliminate avoidable blindness in the State.
Ododo who was represented by Dr Abdulazeez Adeiza, the State’s Commissioner for Health noted the success of the programme in the State adding that the strategic plan would enable them to sustain the programme towards improving eye health care of the people.
He assured of timely release of the blindness prevention vote in the approved state budget, as well as judicious utilisation of funds in the sustainability account.
“Sustainablility is a plan even before now as there have been some funds generated from services given to some patients and the funds over the years are being kept for this purpose of today.
“And the State Government, who have been very passionate about the health in Kogi have been supporting the health sector sustainability plan.
“There is already an MoU been drafted, which will make us work effectively and we are strategising and planning on sustainablility of this programme so that we will have continuous eye health programme in the State.
“Also our health insurance scheme has the component of eye health that is giving free eye health services for the people in the state,” he said.
Also, Country Director, Sightsavers Nigeria, Dr Joy Shu’aibu, said they have been working since 2018 towards the elimination of avoidable blindness, especially among vulnerable groups such as children, women and PWDs in the State.
Shu’aibu said that the project has been able to develop an eyecare strategic plan for Kogi State which can be used as a roadmap to guide their work and efforts, to advocate to Government and measure progress in the elimination of avoidable blindness.
She explained, “We have been able to develop an eyecare strategic plan that we hope the State can use as a roadmap to measure their progress, guide their work, to ensure that they are also able to advocate to the government to provide required funding.
“And the political will to ensure that the people who have an eye problem will be able to access eyecare at an affordable cost.
“All of this is to ensure that nobody goes blind from a cause that can be avoided and for those, who are already blind to ensure that they have equal accesd to health, work and education.”
The Country Director added that, “We have examined an average of 14,000 people across the areas where we have worked. We have dispensed approximately 8,000 spectacles. We have refracted about 10,000 people.
“We have offered life-changing cataract surgeries to several people in Kogi state and other related eyecare surgeries, amongst others.”
Meanwhile, Dr Ayo Olayemi, the Chief Medical Director, Kogi State Hospital Management Board, said through the programme, they have been able to form a team, comprising of other Ministries like education to provide eyecare services for school children.
“They have mentored us and we now work as a team in collaboration with other ministries like education to go those schools, gather the children and screen them for their eyesight,” he said.
At the event, Representatives of the benefiting communities, faith based organisations and MDAs, expressed satisfaction over the successful implementation of the programme in the State.