A medical practitioner, Dr Lanre Adebayo, has decried the rate of blindness in Nigeria even as he disclosed that eyecare service in the country is grossly inadequate.
Adebayo who is the Project Director for Eye Care Hospital, Diabetes and Cancer Research Centre of the Lions Clubs International District 404, explained that the project initiated by the Lions Club was aimed at addressing an area of severe gap in Nigeria’s healthcare system
The project is sited in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and would also complement existing public health infrastructure in the country.
According to the project director in a statement made available to our correspondent, an estimated 1.13 million Nigerians are currently blind while 4.25 million adults are partially blind noting that the prevalence rate was higher in the northern states.
He stressed that two major causes of blindness included cataracts and glaucoma, adding that these were preventable.
The Project Director noted that the Eye Care Hospital, Diabetes and Cancer Centre was conceived to be world-class which would cater both for the poor and rich, adding that it would feature a health extension service especially to accommodate the rural poor.
The Chairman of the Project Steering Committee, Lion Engr. H. O. B. Lawal, urged public-spirited individuals and corporations to donate towards the construction of this unprecedented humanitarian project.
