The Nation Newspaper

Tag: free eye surgeries

  • Accolades for Seplat as 2,725 enjoy free eye surgeries

    Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc., operators of the NPDC/SEPLAT joint venture, has concluded the 7th edition of its annual Eye Can See CSR programme.

    The programme took place at the Oba of Benin’s Palace. It witnessed a large turn out from within and outside the city who showed up to have their eyes checked, obtain prescription glasses or get operated upon to remove vision impairing cataracts.

    On hand to receive the SEPLAT delegation and encourage the residents of the ancient city to come out in their numbers and benefit from the uncommon gesture by SEPLAT were chiefs led by Chief S.O. Obamwonyi. The Esere of Benin Kingdom who represented the Oba of Benin.

    The SEPLAT team was led by the CEO, Mr. Austin Avuru. Also in attendance were key government officials, health sector personnel and other dignitaries who joined in the activities.

    Welcoming the company and dignitaries to the palace, Chief Obamwonyi thanked SEPLAT for supporting and enhancing the physical and mental wellbeing of the members of their host communities and pledged his kingdom’s support to the company and its initiatives.

    Speaking on the initiative,  Avuru said the project is part of the company’s yearly Corporate Social Investment programmes and its objective is to make quality health care accessible to people in Delta and Edo states, particularly the company’s host and impact communities.

    He said: “Members of our host communities are important stakeholders in our mutual enterprise and it is important to support and enhance their health and economic circumstances. That is the reason for this programme, which is in its seventh year and we hope to continue to support and prosecute such sustainable initiatives.”

    Members of the community, who received sundry treatment and those whose sights were restored following surgery, gave glowing testimonials.

    The Eye Can See programme, a key component of SEPLAT’s Corporate Social Investment, is a health focused community engagement which concentrates on bringing free, qualitative and comprehensive eye care to members of its host communities. Over 57,000 patients have benefitted from the programme, which started in 2012 and which has since dispensed 26,855 reading glasses and successfully performed 2,725 eye surgeries.

    This year’s edition ran from June 5 to July 4.

     

     

  • Rotary, Geeta Ashram offer free eye surgeries

    No fewer than 250 Nigerians have benefited from the free eye surgery programme of the  Rotary Club, Lagos Island, in collaboration with Geeta Ashram, Lekki.

    The beneficiaries received surgeries for glaucoma, pterygium and cataract.

    A representative of Geeta Ashram, Samuel Tosanwunmi, said his organisation had been doing the surgeries since 1999 and that Rotary only collaborated with it in the last two years, adding that the organisation was the first group to do free cataract surgery in the country.

    He said the aim of the programme was to help the less-privileged with eye problems. He said each surgery cost as much as N150,000 in a private hospital.

    He expressed satisfaction with the turn out. ‘’It is interesting and the patients are happy for it. It shows that more people are benefitting from it” he said.

    Tosanwunmi advised Nigerians to take care of their eyes. ‘’Go to an eye clinic and check your eyes. Take care of them. Take them serious. They are the windows and engine room of the body that should not be taken for granted. Don’t take chances with them,’’   he counselled.

    Rotary Club member Janram Rupchandani also expressed satisfaction with the turnout. He said: ‘’I have been in Nigeria for 40 years. Yearly, we do programmes like this all the time. For me, human beings are the same whether they are Indians or Nigerians. We have just held one last month.  I always feel happy to serve humanity. I give kudos to Rotary and Geeta  Ashram  for giving to the Nigerian society. I pray God to give us more strength to give more.’’

    Lagos Rotary Club President Sanjeev Tandon praised Geeta Ashram for the collaboration and the success of  the one-week , which held  at General Hospital, Marina. He also thanked the state government and the hospital management  for the success of the programme.

    A beneficiary Gloria Milverton from Akwa Ibom State said she was excited with the surgery, which was successful for her. ‘’I thank Geeta Ashram for helping us, adding that it is free. ‘I did not pay to do the surgery,’’ she said.

     

  • Over 1,000 children get free eye surgeries

    No fewer than 1,500 less privileged, mostly children, yesterday benefitted from free eye cataract operations in Lagos.

    The surgeries were sponsored by Rotary Club of Palmgrove in partnership with Indo Eye Care Foundation.

    District Rotary International Governor, District 9110, Rotarian Dr. Adewale Ogunbadejo, told reporters the gesture was to put smiles on the faces of indigent Nigerians without access to eye treatment.

    He lamented poor vision was a common problem to the less privileged, saying the surgeries were in line in the theme for the year “Mission for vision 2017-2018”.

    Mrs. Olubunmi Popoola, whose eight-month-old baby suffered eye defect from birth, expressed delight over the successful surgery.

    She said: “Brainard eye defect was from birth and we’ve been going around looking for help until we came across Indo Eye Care Foundation and thank God Brainard could see”.

    Other parents whose children benefitted from the surgeries also appreciated the group for the assistance.

  • 2000 benefit from free eye surgeries, screening in Oyo

    NO fewer than 2000 residents have received free eye-screening and surgical operations in Eleta Eye Institute, Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

    The one-week programme came courtesy of a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Standard Chartered Private Bank from Dubia, in order to celebrate the 75th birthday and retirement of ArchBishop Alaba Job.

    The initiative saw the ophthalmology consultants conducting eye-screening and treating patients, while some others were referred for surgery.

    The head of the NGO, Mr Stephen Evans, said about 40 million people in the world are blind, stressing that 80 percent of them are curable.

    He said there is need for more awareness campaign for early detection of the eye diseases among Nigerians in order to reduce it drastically.

    According to him, the organisation started the initiative in 2003 and has since conducted 28,000 medical intervention to restore peoples sight.

    “$67,000 has been raised through auctioning of art works for our customers and clients over the years to finance this project. Many of these people lack access to primary health care and we need to bridge the gap”, Evans said

    He appealed to government and other well meaning Nigerians to donate funds in order to secure people’s sights.

    The Group Managing Director of the Eleta Eye Institute, Dr Benedictus Ajayi, said most of the patients could not afford the cost of the surgeries, which he put at between N250,000 and N350,000 per person, explaining that this is why the rate of blindness is increasing in the country.