The NNPC Foundation has launched a free cataract screening and surgery programme targeting 1,000 beneficiaries in Zaria, Kaduna State.
The scheme is part of a nationwide initiative to tackle avoidable blindness, the managing director of the foundation, Emmanuella Arukwe, said during the flag off ceremony held yesterday at the Gambo Sawaba General Hospital, Zaria.
Mr Arukwe said the programme is part of a broader outreach spanning Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.
According to the official, the initiative aims to provide over 6,000 cataract surgeries across the country.
“We are excited by the turnout and how smoothly the programme is progressing here in Zaria,” Mr Arukwe said. “Cataract is one of the leading causes of blindness globally. In Nigeria, it accounts for about 3 per cent of blindness cases, but it is preventable. With successful surgery, individuals can regain their sight and return to productive lives,” PREMIUM TIMES quoted him as saying.
The Zaria outreach marks the North-west regional phase of the initiative. Similar efforts are ongoing in the North-central and North-east, while the programme has been executed in the three southern regions.