The Federal Government has lamented that access to quality eye care in Nigeria remains a challenge despite availability of effective interventions as children in rural communities are more affected.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammed Ali Pate, stated this on Thursday in Abuja at the 2024 World Sight Day commemoration.
He said, this administration and the ministry under his leadership is committed to addressing this disparity by implementing policies that ensure equitable access to eye care services across all regions, particularly in underserved areas.
The theme of 2024 World Sight Day Commemoration, “Love Your Eyes Kids” underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring every child has access to quality eye care, amid alarming statistics showing 450 million children worldwide suffer from untreated vision conditions.
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The Minister who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, Dr. Charles Nzelu, explained that by prioritizing eye care, government can address health, social and economic disparities, promote equity, and integrate services into broader health initiatives.
He noted that ultimately, investing in children’s vision is an investment in a healthier, more prosperous future for all.
“As part of the governments’ commitment, is the integration of Primary Eye Care (PEC) into Primary Health Care (PHC) to ensure access to eye care services at the grassroot to all including children.”
“Another intervention, is the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative Nigeria (ESCIN) Jigibola 2.0 which has been officially launched, with flag-off ceremonies held and implementation underway in Rivers, Plateau, Kano, Kogi, and Katsina.”
He also disclosed that plans are currently in place to expand the initiative to seven additional states of Ekiti, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo, Lagos, Gombe, and Kaduna before the end of the year.
“In a significant move toward sustainability, a vision centre has been launched in Lagos as part of the ESCIN initiative.
“More centres will be established in the course of this administration. These efforts represent concerted push to improve access to vision care across Nigeria.
“At the moment, we are leveraging partnerships with other line Ministries like education, transport, private sector, and media to achieve this goal.” He added.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Kachallum Daju, reiterated that this year’s theme “Love Your Eyes Kids,” is a poignant reminder of the vital role that vision plays in the lives of Nigerian children.
The Permanent Secretary who was also represented by the National Coordinator of the National Eye Health Programme, Dr Oteri Okolo Eme, explained that good vision is foundational to a child’s development, impacting their education, social interactions, and overall quality of life.
She, however, said many children in Nigeria continue to suffer from preventable vision impairment due to a lack of awareness and access to essential eye care services.
“World Sight Day serves as a powerful platform to spotlight these challenges and to galvanize our efforts toward effective solutions.
“As we engage in discussions and share knowledge, let us remember the importance of collaboration.
“We must work together—government agencies, healthcare providers, educators, community leaders, and families—to achieve the strategic objectives for eye health as clearly outlined in the National Eye Health Strategic Development plan 2024-2028,” she said.
The CBM Programme Coordinator, Angela Uyah, said world sight day provides the opportunity to pay more attention to eyes and to contribute to drawing the attention of Nigerians to the issue of blindness and visual impairment.
“This year’s celebration themed Love Your (Child’s) Eye focuses on casting a spotlight on children’s eye care and on championing eye health for all young people.
“The aim is to ensure that children understand the importance of caring for their eyes, and are free from any stigma associated with using glasses or other corrective treatments.”
“It is gratifying to know that the activities mapped out by the Federal Ministry of Health’s National Eye Health Programme for this year’s celebrations are all geared towards providing the much-needed information and awareness on eye health, as well as making eye care services available, accessible, and affordable to Nigerians, especially to Nigerian children.”
The Program Manager at the Clinton Health Access Initiative(CHAI), Zainab Tukur, congratulated the National Eye Health Program and all its partners for successfully bringing relevant stakeholders together for the important cause and for their relentless work to improve the availability of optimal eye health care for all Nigerians, including children.
She also said CHAI is excited to be working with the NEHP to implement the Presidential Initiative to make reading glasses available to 5 million Nigerians.
“We look forward excitedly to the transformational change we will create together through the in Nigeria’s eye health space in the near future,” She added.
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