Lions Club Donates Eye Equipment Worth N3M to Warri Hospital

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Healthcare services received a boost as Warri Liberty Lions Club under (District 404A1 Nigeria) of the Lions Club International has donated a Tonometer to the Warri Central Hospital, Warri, Delta State.

President of Warri Liberty Lion’s Club, Mrs Olore Imokhe, told newsmen shortly after the donation that the equipment worth over N3 million, and that it was its own contribution towards upgrading health services in the state.

The donation preceded the official swearing-in of the 2019/2020 executives of Warri Liberty Lions Club headed by Imokhe.

Tonometer is a diagnostic tool used by eye specialists to measure the Intraocular pressure inside patients’ eyes. It also helps opthalmologists to easily determine patients’ risk for developing glaucoma.

Imokhe said the Warri Central Hospital was chosen after the charity organisation had carefully carried out a proper need assessment.

According to her, after proper assessment, the hospital was identified to be in desperate need of high-tech eye screening equipment which has made screening and treatment of impaired vision very challenging.

“We have five focal areas in Lions Club International. They are: diabetes; paediatric cancer; sight; environment and feeding the hungry.

“We carry out core projects annually and this year we focused on eye wellness and avoidable blindness. Glaucoma disease is prevalent in our sub region. Our focus is on the less privileged, those who cannot actually afford medical treatment in larger and private hospitals.

“Even when the poor access government hospitals, the hospitals may not also have the right equipment to carry out the procedures, hence our choice of this hospital to reach out to many patients. With this machine, an average of 600 persons can be screened and treated on a monthly basis,” she said.

Also, the Gov. District 404A1 Nigeria, Mr. Adekunle Adedipe said the club had a membership strength of 7,500 in the country and solicited for more members
to effectively meet the needs of the less privileged.

Responding on behalf of the hospital, Dr. Faith Ejegi, Head of Department, Opthalmology commended the club for the donation and urged other humanitarian organisations to emulate the Lions Club and help the less privileged in the society.

“Glucoma being the targets of sight, the only way to detect it is by examining the eyes and this equipment called Tonometer is effective and has accurate measurement. We are happy and grateful to them,” she said.