The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced plans to establish eye care corridors across schools in the Territory.
Accordingly, the plan is aimed at ensuring that children receive prompt and quality eye care intervention.
Acting Director of the FCT Public Health Department, Dr. Dan Gadzama, made this announcement at the Commemoration of the World Sight Day, at the Junior Secondary School Kubwa II, Abuja.
Gadzama reiterated that the plans to establish eye care screening centres across schools is to enable students have an improving learning experience, especially those with challenged eyesight.
According to him, at the eye care corridors, teachers would be trained to enable them to screen children and identify those with challenged eyesight; adding that there would be a referral link system to provide the needed services.
He revealed that free cataract surgeries would be provided and screening as well as free eyeglasses to over 250 residents by the FCTA and Noor Dubai Foundation at the Asokoro District Hospital from 12th to 16th October 2024.
Gadzama said the provision of free cataract surgeries to residents and the commemoration of World Sight Day in FCT schools is part of its efforts to align with the mandate of the National Eye Care Programme of the Federal Ministry Of Health.
His words: “As part of efforts to provide eye care intervention, the FCTA in collaboration with our partners will provide free cataract surgeries as well as glasses to residents in the Asokoro District Hospital”.
The Director disclosed that FCTA is set to have eye care focal persons at the Primary Health Care facilities to ensure basic care is provided at the grassroots, in addition to screening exercises, which would provide referral systems that will link to a high level of care.
Similarly, the National Eye Care Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Oteri Okolo, said the mandate of the National Eyecare programme is to ensure that no Nigerian is needlessly blind and that those who are already blind have access to rehabilitative eye care services.
The Coordinator said that it is not only about those who are at risk of sight loss that can be corrected, it is also important to provide rehabilitative care to those who are already blind to ensure that they are functional members of society.
