Health
FG Urges Private Sector Investment In Local Production Of Eye Care Products
The Federal Government has urged the private sector to invest in local production of optical lenses, spectacle frames, eye drops and other basic eye care consumables to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imports.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at a Public-Private Sector Roundtable on Eye Health.
The roundtable is with the theme, “Gift of Sight: Mobilising Partnerships and Sustainable Funding towards Transforming Eye Care in Nigeria.”
Salako said Nigeria could no longer rely on external funding and imported products to address the country’s eye health needs, noting that the country currently imported more than 90 per cent of basic optical consumables.
“Our conversation here today, in line with our eye care strategic direction is to further underscore that vision is not merely a health issue, but a fundamental driver of economic output,” he said.
He said developing domestic supply chains would make eye care products more affordable while creating jobs, adding that local production should also extend to essential ophthalmic medicines.
“Access to affordable, high-quality ophthalmic medicines; from simple anti-glaucoma drops to specialised post-surgical therapies remains sub-optimal.
“These are areas for domestic manufacturing through local formulation and production of essential eye medications under strict quality standards,” Salako said.
The minister said the need for private-sector investment was underscored by the estimated 24 million Nigerians living with vision loss.
He said most of the vision loss resulted from preventable or treatable conditions including digital eye strain, cataracts, glaucoma and uncorrected refractive errors.
Salako said government was already implementing measures to expand access.
He noted that the JigiBola 2.0 initiative had, in just over one year, delivered more than two million free screenings, and 1.5 million free spectacles.
He added government had trained more than 2,200 primary healthcare workers and activated more than 800 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres across 16 states.
Salako said the next phase of the programme would reach more than one million Nigerians in an additional 10 states.
He said that the Federal Government, through Renewed Hope Health Connect, aimed to provide 25,000 free cataract surgeries by 2027.
Dr Oteri Okolo, National Coordinator, National Eye, Ear and Sensory Functions Health Programme, said integrating eye care into the primary healthcare system was critical to reaching people in rural communities, where many people at risk of vision loss reside.
Okolo however, said that in addition to government’s efforts to expand acces to eye health services, there was need for stronger private-sector participation to expand the reach.
Mrs Yemisi Edun, Managing Director, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), said the bank’s partnership with Tulsi Chanrai Foundation had demonstrated the impact of sustained private-sector involvement in eye health.
Represented by Mr Diran Olojo, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Edun said the Priceless Gift of Sight initiative, inaugurated in 2009, had provided free eye care to more than 400,000 Nigerians by July 2024.
This, she said, was through testing, optical services, surgeries and disease management.
She said that the aim of the meeting was “to turn shared concern into practical action, backed by sustainable funding, clear responsibilities, and measurable results. Many consequences of vision loss can be prevented, treated, or corrected.”
Edun said the next step was to ensure that eye care interventions moved beyond isolated outreaches to sustainable services supported by adequate staffing, equipment, maintenance and referral systems.
“A screening exercise should lead somewhere, a referral should result in care.
“Equipment should have trained people to operate it and resources to maintain it,” she said.
Shravan Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Tulsi Chanrai Foundation, said sustained partnerships and investment in eye health could produce immediate benefits for individuals, families and the wider economy.
“With eye health, you can get the best investment because you will immediately see the returns.
“Once the surgery is done, once the spectacle is given, you can see a world of difference from the beneficiary, from their immediate family and friends,” Kumar said.
The Country Director of Sightsavers Nigeria, Prof. Joy Shuaibu, said 4.2 million Nigerians aged 40 years and above were blind or visually impaired, including 1.1 million adults.
She, however, said that 84 per cent of blindness was avoidable.
Shuaibu said cataract accounted for 43 per cent of blindness and could be addressed through a simple surgical procedure, but only 4.4 per cent of Nigerians had access to quality eye care.
She said that sustainable progress in eye health required strong partnerships between government, the private sector, civil society, professional bodies, academia, and development partners.
“I believe sincerely that by combining our resources, our expertise, and innovation, we can expand access to quality eye care services and ensure that no one is left behind,” she said.(NAN)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
