NNPCL Gives Sight to 1,000 Abia Residents Blinded by Cataracts

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

It was a new lease of life for visually impaired persons in Abia State as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Wednesday, officially flagged-off its ongoing 1,000 Free Cataract Extraction Surgeries in Umuahia and Aba.

The medical outreach sponsored by the NNPC Foundation in partnership with Abia government brought back light and vision to the eyes of hundreds of persons that hitherto lost their sights due to damages done by cataract.

Managing Director of NNPC Foundation, Mrs. Emmaneulla Arukwe, said that the foundation was “excited” to be of help to people that had lost their sights”, adding that “sights are going to be restored” in the weeklong programme.

She noted that cataract is a preventable eye disease hence every effort should be made  to save the eye before and after because “without sight you can do nothing”.

According to her, “our target is 1,000” beneficiaries in the restorative eye surgeries taking place simultaneously at the Abia State Specialist Hospital, Umuahia, Madonna Catholic Hospital Umuahia, and the State General Hospital Aba.

Arukwe stressed the impact of the free eye surgeries, noting that those that regained their sights would contribute to the economic growth of the nation.

The NNPC Foundation MD said that the free cataract extraction surgeries had kicked-off in January in South West zone in Lagos and Ogun States while the programme moved to  South East and South-South in April.

Abia State Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, who represented Governor Alex Otti said the programme aligned with the governor’s vision of providing quality healthcare system in Abia.

He said that the state remained open to collaborate with local and global agencies to give Abia residents access to quality healthcare services all year round.

Prof. Uche noted that over 50 million cases of blindness exist globally with cataracts accounting for 43 percent of the loss of sight toll.

He gave statistics on the programme, saying that 714 cases were presented at Umuahia and 653 screened while in Aba 1,402 cases were presented and 746 screened.

Uche further stated that a total of 477 patients were booked for surgeries out of the 1,399 screened, adding the number could still increase.

He stated that the restoration of sight to the beneficiaries was of immense benefits because “for every cataract extracted it gives five times returns” on the economic value of the person whose eye sight was restored.

The Abia Health Commissioner warned people against patronising quacks when they have eye problems, saying that those with visual impairments should present themselves for evaluation at any of the public health facilities.

He lamented that many people have in seeking treatments from quacks lost their sights when they should have accessed medical care provided at the functional health facilities in Abia made possible by Governor Otti.

The Administrator of the Abia State Eye Health Management Bureau (AEHMB), Dr Betty Emeka-Obasi, said that sensitization exercise was carried out for three consecutive days covering all the 17 Local Governments of Abia.

Emeka-Obasi, who coordinated the programme, noted that the awareness campaign, was so effective that that every community in Abia benefitted from the free cataract extraction surgeries.

There were testimonies from patients that had already undergone the cataract surgery extraction procedures that started in Monday, saying that they have regained their sights.

“After the plaster was removed, I realised that I can see again,” said Mr. Daniel Ikpa from Bende Local Government whose cataract extraction surgery was performed on Monday.

The people that spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries profusely expressed their gratitude to the NNPC Foundation and the Abia State Government for their partnership that brought back their lost visions.

They pleaded with NNPC to make the programme an annual event to ensure a sustainable restoration of lost sights to people that didn’t benefit from the current programme and those that cataract might affect their eyes in future.