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Sightsavers Nigeria, an International Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), says much than 4.25 cardinal Nigerians are suffering from blindness and ocular impairment.
Ms Barbara Marok, the Eye Health Programme Officer of the organisation, disclosed this during a gathering with media partners connected Thursday successful Keffi, Nassarawa State.
Marok peculiarly said that galore of the cases were stemming from preventable conditions similar cataracts, glaucoma, and uncorrected refractive errors.
Highlighting the staggering statistics, the programme serviceman stressed the request for accrued consciousness and concern successful oculus wellness services, peculiarly successful agrarian communities wherever entree to oculus attraction remains a large challenge.
”More than 4.2 cardinal Nigerians are unsighted oregon visually impaired; galore owed to preventable oregon treatable conditions similar cataract, glaucoma and corrective retractive errors.
“Only 4.4 per cent of Nigerians person entree to oculus attraction health, compared to the 38 per cent successful middle-income countries,” she said.
According to Marok, Nigeria losses billions annually owed to mediocre vision, a inclination she said posed a large acceptable backmost to productivity, income and education.
Speaking, Ms Folake Aliu, Senior Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager of the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)/ Safeguarding Lead of the organisation, noted that Nigeria bears 25 per cent of Africa’s NTD burden.
Aliu besides noted that immoderate causes of blindness specified arsenic cataracts, glaucoma, and uncorrected refractive errors were mostly preventable.
She added that Sightsavers was tackling the 5 astir prevalent NTDs, including lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), stream blindness (onchoccerciasis), trachoma, intestinal worms and schistosomiasis.
“As astatine 2024, Sightsavers has ensured that much 653 cardinal radical get entree to NTD treatment.
“We person besides supported 74 Local Government Areas to scope trachoma elimination threshold and provided 80 per cent enactment for trachoma elimination successful Nigeria,” she said.
She, however, identified insecurity, mediocre authorities ownership backing gaps, ineffective execution of programmes, amongst others arsenic challenges affecting the elimination of NTD successful Nigeria.
Declaring the gathering open, Prof. Joy Shuaibu, the Country Director of Sightsavers Nigeria, said that the gathering aimed astatine equipping journalists to further amplify the ongoing combat against avoidable blindness.
Shuaibu, represented by Mrs Anita Gwong, Project Director, NTDs of Sightsavers, said that the organisation had impacted astir 60 per cent of Nigeria’s colonisation done its assorted interventions.
She, therefore, charged the media to amplify issues astir NTD, promote ownership of projects by the government, adjacent backing gap, and implementation of policies that would code challenges affecting entree to healthcare and acquisition for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)
Speaking connected societal inclusion, Ms Esther Bature, the Advocacy Coordinator of the organisation, decried that the favoritism often faced by PWDs had hindered them from accessing healthcare, facilities, education, amongst others.
She added that done its inclusive programmes similar the Support Mainstreaming Inclusion to each Learn Equally (SMILE); Inclusive Family Planning project; Inclusion Works ll; GESP-SABI Woman, it had promoted societal inclusion.
The station ‘4.2m Nigerians endure ocular impairment’ appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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