The Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Foundation, has begun free cataract treatments for no fewer than 1,000 residents of Bayelsa.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the foundation has earlier carried out a screening exercise during which people were diagnosed with cataract and profiled for treatment.
The free surgery is taking place at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa and the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri.
Mrs Emmanuela Arukwe, the Managing Director, NNPC Foundation, said that the intervention was the foundation’s way of supporting people with visual challenges.
Represented by the Manager, Healthcare Programme, Jude Ayalogu, Arukwe said that the exercise was a nationwide programme targeted to treat 6,000 cataract patients across the six geo-political zones.
She said that WHO reports had shown that cataract remained one of the leading causes of blindness globally.
“According to WHO, nearly 50 per cent of blindness cases in Nigeria are caused by cataracts.
“In rural and underserved areas, limited access to quality eye care exacerbates this challenge, many individuals to live with avoidable blindness.
“Visual challenge is not only a health issue, it is a social and economic crisis. Loss of vision negatively impacts on productivity, independence, and overall quality of life.
“At NNPC Foundation, we recognise that sight is more than just a sense, it is a fundamental pillar for human dignity and opportunity.
“This is the understanding that forms the foundation for our outreach programmes” he said.
In his remarks, Dr James Omietimi, the Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, stated that cataract was a leading cause of reversible blindness, prevalent among the aged.
Omietimi urged members of the public to take advantage of the opportunity provided by NNPC Foundation to access free cataract screening and extraction.
Omietimi commended the foundation for the gesture, describing it as a huge relief to many families.
“Surgery for the cataract at public hospitals costs between N100,000 and N150,000 while private health centres charge more than N300,000,” he said.
Prof. Seiyefa Brisine, the Bayelsa Commissioner for Health, described the gesture as a good omen to the health of the citizenry.
He urged others stakeholders to borrow a leaf from the NNPCL Foundation by organising similar health intervention programmes
One of the beneficiaries, Mr Highness Opokuni, a 60-year old man, said he had suffered cataract for two years, and that the condition had affected him emotionally and economically.
He thanked the foundation for the gesture, describing it as a lifeline for families that cannot afford the cost of cataract surgery.
