Hospital Group Takes Eye Care To Underserved With Mobile Clinic

Nigeria’s conflict with preventable blindness and mediocre entree to specialised oculus attraction was boosted yesterday arsenic Skipper Eye-Q Super Specialty Eye Hospitals commissioned its 4th installation successful Gwarimpa, Abuja, alongside a caller mobile session targeted astatine underserved agrarian communities.

The launch, attended by wellness stakeholders, nonrecreational associations and the diplomatic corps, is framed not lone arsenic an enlargement of a backstage infirmary radical but besides arsenic a effect to the country’s pressing oculus wellness needs.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), implicit 1 cardinal Nigerians are blind, portion 80 per cent of the cases are preventable with timely intervention.

Dr Temitope Tijani, the archetypal Nigerian ophthalmologist to articulation the infirmary 9 years ago, sees the milestone arsenic a idiosyncratic travel that mirrors broader sectoral gains.

She recalled archetypal scepticism but said the concern had yielded skills transfer, confidence, and opportunities for Nigerian specialists.

“Today, we are 4 specialised doctors delivering world-class oculus care. Patients travel from crossed Nigeria to question treatment. The imagination of practising arsenic a surgeon present astatine home, without patients having to alert abroad, is being realised,” she said.

Skipper’s enlargement underscores the relation of backstage concern successful bridging Nigeria’s wellness infrastructure gaps.

Dr Obinna Awiaka, registrar/CEO of the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN), represented by Dr Okafor Igbo, said the infirmary had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with theb to prioritise section contented and skills development.

Soumya Goel, the main task manager of the mobile oculus session and concern head, said successful an exclusive interview, “The mobile session serves arsenic a scope for the unreachable. It helps to span the spread successful Nigeria’s oculus health, which has enabled the session to scope astir agrarian areas.”

The Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) echoed the sentiment. Its president, Dr Chimezirim Anderson, said the services should beryllium extended to agrarian areas, wherever untreated oculus diseases often pb to avoidable blindness.

Rajat Goel, co-founder and CEO of Skipper Eye-Q, says, “It’s designed to capable that gap. Since its rollout earlier this year, it has screened astir 3,000 people, provided 3,000 escaped eyeglasses, and reached information operatives, ministry staff, and residents successful agrarian communities done the mobile clinic.”

In his remarks, Dr Ajay Sharma, CMD and founder, said, “Skipper Eye-Q, which began operations successful Nigeria successful 2016, present has 4 branches successful Lagos and Abuja. Beyond its enlargement plans successful Nigeria and West Africa, the infirmary radical remains committed to ‘human care, not profit.” outreach.