Ondo: 6,000 Benefits from MTN Foundation’s Free Eye Treatment
James Sowole The mobile telecommunications giant, MTN, has sponsored free medical eye treatment for no fewer than 6,000 patients suffering from various forms of eye diseases in 18 local government areas of Ondo State.
The free eye treatment, which took place at the Ondo State owned trauma and surgical unit located within the Medical Village, Laje Road, Ondo Town, was organised by the MTN Foundation (MTNF) under the second phase of the foundation’s Eyesight Restoration Intervention Scheme (MTNF eyeRIS) project.
The project, which had been endorsed by the Federal Ministry of Health, was being executed in partnership with Eye Foundation Centre for Prevention of Blindness.
Speaking at the ceremony hosted by the Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and witnessed by dignitaries including the Paramount Ruler of Ondo Kingdom, Oba Adesinbo Kiladejo, the Director, MTN Foundation, Mr Dennis Okoro said about one million Nigerians are estimated to be blind.
He added that about 3.1 million other Nigerians were said to be living with one form of visual impairment or the other while conducting their day-to-day activities with significant difficulty.
Okoro lamented that overwhelming majority of people living with visual impairment do not have access to proper treatment or facilities.
He said it was in realisation of the fact that many people do not have access to proper and adequate treatment that informed the MTNF to partner the Eye Foundation Centre for Prevention of Blindness to implement the MTNF EyeRIS project.
Okoro disclosed that under the first phase of the project, a total of 33, 364 patients in six states that include Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa, Abia , Delta and Osun were treated for cataracts and other ocular diseases.
He added that some of the beneficiaries received free surgery to remove cataracts, while others received reading glasses to treat presbyopia or drug packs to treat various ocular diseases.
The MTNF director said the second phase of the project has already been implemented in Ogun and Imo States with Akwa Ibom and Ekiti states scheduled to take place soon.
Okoro said the MTNF EyeRIS project was one of the many projects under the health portfolio of the MTN Foundation.
He mentioned other notable projects under the portfolio to include MTNF Medical Support Project (MSP), MTNF Y’ello Doctor Mobile Medical Intervention Project and the MTND Sickle Cell Project among others.
Okoro said apart from health, MTNF also invests in education and economic empowerment across the country, adding that the foundation so far had invested $56 million or N10.5 billion) in carrying out projects in 341 sites across the 36 states of Nigeria and FCT.
Also speaking, Governor Mimiko, who commended the MTNF for choosing Ondo State as a beneficiary of the project, said the initiative was similar to that of his government.
He lauded MTN for supporting his administration through the programme, just as he assured that his government would continue to cater for the medical needs of the overwhelming people of the state.
The governor, who highlighted the achievements of his administration in the health sector, said the people of Ondo State, especially the womenfolk will continue to enjoy free medical care in the state.