ABUJA (Office of the Wife of the President’s Report) – Wife of the President, Dr. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari has commended Noor Dubai Foundation for implementing the visual care agreement it signed with Aisha Buhari Foundation in 2017. The agreement was aimed at accelerating access to visual healthcare in Nigeria.
She signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Foundation and Katsina State Government on Tuesday, 23rdApril, 2019 at the State House, Abuja.
Mrs. Buhari said she was happy that Noor Dubai Foundation had engaged the state to run a Katsina Comprehensive Eye Care Programme as part of its philanthropic activities to Nigeria, she therefore called on Nigerians to take advantage of these services to improve their eye health.
Earlier in the programme, the Chief Executive of Noor Dubai Foundation, Dr. Manal Muhammad Omran Taryam Al Shamsi said that the choice of Katsina state resulted from a survey which revealed that there were at least 122,000 visually impaired people in the state, out of which 24,000 were blind, while only 25% of cases benefit from surgery services.
She said the partnership would yield positive results because 82% of visual loss can be treated or prevented and that is why Katsina state was chosen to implement a 4 – year sustainable comprehensive eye care programme. Katsina state government has also expressed willingness to support and sustain the programme.
While speaking on the scope of the programme, she said it will include revamping of infrastructure in 3 main hospitals, setting up of 12 vision centers and 3 optical workshops as well as supporting and equipping 250 primary care centers. The programme will also recruit and train local ophthalmologists, optometrists and ophthalmic nurses.
Also on the cards were 11,000 free cataract surgeries, 36,000 screenings and treatment for other eye disorders as well as rehabilitation support for 1000 individuals with permanent visual loss.
The Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Mannir Yakubu said the MoU marks a great milestone in the delivery of eye care services in the state and is aimed at improving the quality of life and the socio-economic status of the people of the state through reduction of burden of blindness and visual impairment. He described this as Katsina’s effort at supporting the attainment of Universal Eye Healthcare by the Year 2020.
Minister of Health, represented by National Coordinator for Eye Health, Dr. Oteri Okolo said the Ministry is in support of such partnerships and wish that it would be sustained, as the outcome of this pilot would yield positive results across the country.
The event was witnessed by the Chief Medical Director of the National Eye Center, Kaduna and other stakeholders in the eye care support sector.
As a member of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, Noor Dubai aims to fulfil the objective of vision 2020 – The global Initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness.
Suleiman Haruna
Director of Information to Wife of the President
State House
Abuja
