Gift James
Residents of the Ojokoro community in the Ifako/Ijaiye area of Lagos State have benefitted from the free cataract surgeries performed by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in collaboration with a group known as Friends of LASUTH.
Cataract is the most common cause of severe visual impairment and blindness being responsible for 45.3 percent and 43 percent, respectively, according to the Nigerian National Blindness Survey(2020).
Over 500 beneficiaries were screened during the outreach, and 48 people were diagnosed with cataracts and scheduled for free operations at LASUTH.
Professor Adetokunbo Fabamwo, Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, noted that the tertiary health facility was set up to offer advanced medical care, and over the years, the government of Lagos State has invested a lot of funds in LASUTH to achieve this vision.
The CMD further stated that the objective behind organizing the free cataract
surgery programme was the need to give back to society, explaining that the hospital management deliberately chose eye disorders, among other conditions, because cataract is one of the main medical impairments Nigerians suffer.
The Head of the Ophthalmology Department at LASUTH, Dr Rosemary Ngwu, said the essence of the surgery was to complete the medical process the infirmary started in February.
She said cataract is one of the causes of blindness if left untreated, stressing that regular eye screening is one of the ways to curb the disease.
The medical practitioner also noted that the beneficiaries expressed their excitement at being chosen for the surgery, which is at no cost.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr Akanji Adetunji, thanked the state government and the hospital for the gesture, saying “the focus on healthcare in the state has improved and I am fortunate to be a beneficiary.”
