NGO provides free cataract surgeries for 550 patients in Jigawa — Official

International Organisation for Relief Welfare and Development (IORWD), an international NGO, has conducted free cataract surgeries on no fewer than 550 patients at the Dutse General Hospital, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The free eye surgeries were conducted by the World Muslims League, through IORWD, which was sponsored by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and supported by the Jigawa Government, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Dr Ahmed Muhammad, the Health Coordinator for the international organisation, Nigeria Regional Office, said the organisation was in Jigawa to conduct free cataract surgeries for targeted 700 patients.

The coordinator said that so far they had conducted almost 550 cases, beginning from Saturday to Tuesday, adding that the team would this week roundup and depart for Gombe State.

He recalled that in 2018 the same mission was in Jigawa, where they targeted 500 patients but at the end they operated on 900 patients.

“I think this year we are very successful too, because our target was 700, but so far we have done almost 550 and hope to conduct up to 814 cases,” he said.

“From here we are going to move to other states. We are going to conduct in Gombe, Bauchi, Oyo and Kaduna. In each state we are targeting 500 patients.

“As Muslim World League, we in Health sector we have different programmes not only eye, we also have a cardiac programme and we are hoping to have heart surgeries in Sokoto state,” he said.

Earlier, Abdulrahman Amin, Tropical Diseases and Eye care Programme Manager at the state Ministry of Health, also told NAN that the programme targeted 700 patients, but were shocked to discover over 800 parents actually needed to be operated upon.

Amin said that even though they were aware that quite a number people were seriously affected by the eye disease and other eye related diseases which further informed the arrangements for the free surgery.

“That is why the International Organisation for Relief Welfare and Development come to the aid of the state to collaborate with the state government through the Ministry of Health, Jigawa State, to ensure that those who are blind due to cataract may have their sights restored.

“The state government and other philanthropists and partners have been collaborating to ensure that they restored the sights of the people of the state.

”Many are blind due to the positive agent of blindness that can be prevented like cataracts, like tracheae’s, all these are the actual cause of blindness among our rural populace that are preventable,” the official said.

He expressed delight that so far the surgeries performed were very successful, assuring that “the patients’ sights will be restored immediately after the surgery.”