The North-East Development Commission (NEDC), in collaboration with the Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation, have pledged to improve access to healthcare services in rural communities in the North-East Nigeria.
The duo made the pledge during the final part of NEDC/ Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation, a free eye care medical outreach in Taraba
Tribune Online reports that 5,687 persons benefited from the NEDC/ Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation’s free eye care medical outreach in Wukari, Ibi, Gassol, Yorro and Sadauna, local government areas of the state.
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Tribune Online also reports that the initiative was aimed at addressing the growing cases of preventable blindness and vision impairment in underserved communities.
Ali Mohammed Tonga, a representative of NEDC, and the Director, Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation, Prof Olukorede Adenuga, noted during the closing exercise of the medical outreach in Sardauna Local Government that improving access to healthcare services in rural communities would help reduce cases of preventable blindness and vision impairment.
According to them, beneficiaries of the free eye care medical outreach received comprehensive eye screenings, free prescription glasses, eye medications, and surgical interventions for cataracts and pterygium.
“Good vision is essential for productivity and quality of life. Through this collaboration with the Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation, we have been able to restore hope to many who had limited access to proper eye care. We wish to pledge our sincere commitment to improve access to healthcare in rural communities in the North-East,” the NEDC representative stated.
Meanwhile, Adenuga stated that “Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation remain dedicated to providing sustainable eye health solutions in Nigeria. We sincerely appreciate NEDC for the partnership support.
“We have witnessed firsthand the impact of this outreach. Many people who have struggled with impaired vision for years can now see clearly, and this is life-changing for them and their families.”
James Gabriel and Amina Abubakar, some of the beneficiaries expressed gratitude to NEDC and Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation for the gesture, and appealed for Taraba state government deliberate effort to compliment NEDC and Kolmarg Eyesight Foundation effort to ending blindness in the state.
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