The federal government says it will provide 25,000 free cataract surgeries nationwide by the end of 2027 as part of efforts to reduce avoidable blindness and improve access to quality eye care.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, announced this on Thursday at the 49th Annual Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) and the African Council of Optometry (AFCO) meeting in Abuja.
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Mr Salako said the surgeries would be carried out under the Renewed Hope Health Connect initiative, which aims to bring healthcare services closer to underserved communities across the country.
He said funding for the programme had already been provided in the 2025 and 2026 federal budgets, with implementation expected to begin in late October or early November this year.
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“The process is already ongoing and, all things being equal, we hope to start the implementation by late October or early November this year,” he said.
Expanding primary eye care services
The minister said eye health had remained neglected for years, despite preventable visual impairment continuing to deprive millions of Nigerians of productivity, independence, economic opportunities and personal dignity.
He said President Bola Tinubu had placed deliberate emphasis on expanding primary eye care services and tackling preventable blindness through sustained investments, reforms and strengthened healthcare delivery systems.
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According to him, the National Eye Health Strategic Development Plan 2024–2028 integrates eye care services across primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare levels to improve early detection nationwide.
Mr Salako said the federal government had also inaugurated the Nigeria Glaucoma Guidelines and Toolkit to standardise diagnosis, treatment and referral protocols for glaucoma management across healthcare facilities nationwide.
He said ophthalmologists from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory had already been trained on the guidelines to facilitate effective implementation and improve patient outcomes nationwide.
He added that under the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative Nigeria-JigiBola 2.0, more than 2,220 primary healthcare workers across 16 states had been trained to conduct vision screening.
He said the JigiBola 2.0 initiative had screened almost two million Nigerians and provided more than 1.3 million people with free reading glasses across participating states nationwide.
According to him, approximately 66 per cent of beneficiaries received their first-ever pair of spectacles through the intervention, highlighting the significant unmet need for eye care services.
“The Jigi-Bola 2.0 is now being expanded under the Renewed Hope Health Connect to deliver at least five million free pairs of spectacles and 25,000 free cataract surgeries by the end of 2027,” he said.
Optometrists
Mr Salako described optometrists as on the front line of community eye health, emphasising that their expertise remained critical to achieving universal eye health coverage and reducing preventable blindness nationwide.
Earlier, President of the Nigerian Optometric Association, Chimeziri Anderson, said the conference was conceived to harmonise and standardise optometry education, training and practice across African countries.
Mr Anderson said the gathering would strengthen collaboration among African nations, promote the dissemination of research, and bridge differences in professional training, competencies, and regulatory frameworks across the continent.
He added that the association had partnered with organisations to facilitate free cataract surgeries, recording about 60 successful procedures during a recent outreach programme for vulnerable patients.
Also speaking, President of AFCO, Remi Ninkpe, called for a harmonised framework to guide optometry education, training and professional practice across Africa.
Mr Ninkpe said Africa had made remarkable progress in expanding optometry training, clinical services and professional recognition through collective efforts by governments, institutions and professional associations.
He, however, said that differences in curriculum, competencies and scope of practice continued to limit workforce mobility, professional integration and regional advancement across the continent.
“A harmonised, structured framework will deliver clarity of practice, workforce mobility, shared tools and one united voice for policy and advocacy,” he said.
READ ALSO: NNPC Foundation begins free cataract surgeries for 1,000 beneficiaries in Zaria
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the NOA Federal Capital Territory Chapter, Njezi Kennedy, described the conference as a landmark gathering to advance eye care across Africa.
Mr Kennedy commended the association’s leadership for strengthening professional advocacy, expanding global engagement, and successfully bringing the continental conference to Nigeria to foster wider collaboration and knowledge exchange.
He urged participants to maximise the scientific sessions, deepen professional collaboration and renew their commitment to eliminating avoidable blindness while improving eye health outcomes across Africa.
The conference, themed “Optometrists in a Changing Africa: From Diversity to Unity,” brought together eye care professionals, researchers and policymakers to discuss strategies for improving eye health services across the continent.
(NAN)
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