The Yobe State Government, in collaboration with Qatar Charity Nigeria, has launched a free medical outreach that will provide eye care services to more than 3,600 people suffering from various eye ailments across the state’s 17 local government areas.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Governor Mai Mala Buni, represented by his deputy, Idi Barde Gubana, described sight as one of God’s greatest gifts and stressed the importance of ensuring access to quality eye care for the people.
Gubana said the Buni administration remains committed to providing quality healthcare services to all residents through policies and programmes aimed at improving service delivery in the health sector.
He commended Qatar Charity Nigeria for partnering with the state government, describing the organisation as “a beacon of hope” whose support is helping the government improve the well-being of its citizens.
According to the deputy governor, the eye care outreach is a direct intervention designed to alleviate suffering, restore hope and permanently treat preventable eye conditions.
He also highlighted recent achievements in the state’s health sector, including Yobe’s $2.5 million performance grant from the World Bank under the HOPE Governance Programme for meeting key governance and budgeting reform targets.
Gubana further disclosed that the state government has upgraded the Ngelzarma Primary Health Centre to a General Hospital to cater for the growing healthcare needs of residents in Ngelzarma and neighbouring communities, in line with the administration’s ongoing health sector reforms.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Muhammad Lawan Gana, said the outreach followed a comprehensive eye screening exercise conducted across all 17 local government areas of the state.
He explained that 600 eligible patients had been selected to undergo free cataract surgeries, while a total of 3,600 beneficiaries would receive free eye consultations and other related services.
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Dr Gana described the partnership with Qatar Charity Nigeria as a demonstration of the impact of collaboration in tackling avoidable blindness and expanding access to essential healthcare.
He urged beneficiaries to comply with post-operative care instructions to ensure successful recovery and appealed to traditional rulers, community leaders, stakeholders and the media to support public awareness efforts aimed at reaching more vulnerable residents.
Also speaking, the Country Director of Qatar Charity Nigeria, Aseen Abu Al-Sha’eer, said the medical outreach would provide free eye consultations for 3,600 beneficiaries, while 600 patients would receive free cataract surgeries alongside other eye care services.
