The North East Development Commission, NEDC, has empowered and installed modern ophthalmic equipment valued at about ₦3 billion at the Maiduguri Eye Hospital, Borno State.
The donation was made at the conclusion of a two-week specialist training programme for ophthalmologists and other eye-care professionals to ensure effective utilisation of the equipment.
The intervention, which includes the Ophthalmology Equipment Set-Up and Training Programme, marks a significant milestone in the commission’s sustained efforts to strengthen specialist healthcare services across the North-East.
The programme commenced with the installation, calibration, and coupling of advanced ophthalmic equipment, followed by intensive hands-on technical and clinical training sessions.
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The activities are aimed at ensuring that the newly deployed equipment is fully operational and optimally configured to support the delivery of high-quality eye-care services in the region.
Speaking after the installation of the equipment, the Managing Director of the NEDC, Mr. Goni Alkali said the intervention was aimed at repositioning the hospital for improved service delivery by replacing obsolete equipment with modern and sophisticated machines in line with global standards.
“Two years ago, we were here to assess the condition of the equipment on the ground, and we discovered the need to replace most of the obsolete machines.
We procured modern equipment last year, and we are back not only to install them but also to interact with staff who have undergone two weeks of training on how to operate and manage these facilities,” Mr. Alkali said.
He stated that the intervention at the Maiduguri Eye Hospital was part of a broader health-sector investment across the region, where the regional intervention of the NEDC was not limited to the hospital alone.
Mr. Alkali said the commission had committed substantial resources to the health sector across many hospitals and tertiary health institutions in all six states of the North-East, including the training and retraining of health workers.
Also speaking, the training lead, Professor Abdul Mohammed Mahdi of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, said the programme was designed to enhance surgical and diagnostic capacity, improve outcomes for cataract and glaucoma patients, and strengthen the hospital’s ability to deliver safe, modern and efficient eye-care services.