Kano state government north Western Nigeria is set to establish Eye Clinic in the headquarters of all the 44 local governments across the state.
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Kano state Governor Dr. Umar Ganduje stated this during the closing ceremony of the month long World Sight Day, held in Dawakin Tofa local government area of the state over the weekend.
According to the World Health Organization, there over 2 billion people with eye problem across the globe with one in four persons affected.
In the WHO 2020 resolution on eye Care , it sets out to reduce eye health challenges by 40 percent by the end of 2030 as such second Thursday of October every year is slated to review the implementation and chart ways forward.
The Governor had earlier flagged off the 2021 Programme with the theme “Love Your Eyes”, at the Murtala General Hospital, Kano on the second Thursday of the month of October with a target to provide free eye care services to 14,000 patients
He said during the one month period exercise patients benefited across the five Emirate council’s in the state, which incldes: Kano, Bichi, Karaye, Rano and Gaya.
He said the clients benefited in the areas of “surgery, eye glasses, drugs and personal eye Care hygiene methods in the selected local governments within the five Emirates.”
In Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano, in Kano Emirate, 4,306 people were treated. In Bichi Emirate 2,904 people were treated, in Gaya Emirate 2,536 people were treated, in Karaye Emirate 2,426 people were treated and in Rano Emirate, 2,741 people were treated.
He also advised people to always take advice from health experts, stressing that “Even in Islam hygiene is absolutely important and necessary.
“For the sustainability of eye Care services, the state is set to establish eye clinic in the headquarters of all the 44 local governments areas, is not enough as such government will continue to work very hard in the eye care sector and other areas of the health services sector by strengthen the institutions, building more and staffing them,” said the Governor.
Representative of WHO at the event Bashiru Abbah said the agency is aware of the effort of the Kano state government and will do everything possible to support the government in the preventable disease that is affecting over 2 billion people across the globe.
“Kano is implementing all the five (5) resolutions of the WHO, ranging from treatment to hygiene strategies and this highly commendable,” said Abbah.
Representative of a global body, Sight Boost, Dr Kamilu Sale at the occasion, also acknowledged that apart from the government, the Ganduje Foundation since 2014 has treated over 380,000 people with concerns of eye problems which is commendable
“Since 2014 Ganduje Foundation has treated people with eye problem in six stages. Where 17,600 were treated with trachoma surgery, 264,000 were diagnosed and provided with prescriptions and 105,600 were provided with eye glasses,” said Kamilu.
Some of the beneficiaries Abdulahi Ahmed and Amina Mohammed who were both beneficiaries of eye surgery thanked the governor for the humanitarian gesture which will help them to live a better life going forward.
Other health experts at the occasion commended the state government for the initiative.
