5000 People Receive Sight Thru Dame Okowa Foundation
The O5 Initiative Grassroot medical outreach in collaboration with Restore Sight Africa Initiative today launched a week long medical outreach for the screening and treatment of eye-related issues, distribution of free eye glasses and Free Medical Examination.
Speaking during the inauguration the Wife of the Governor of Delta State Dame Edith Okowa who is the founder of O5 Initiative urged well meaning Nigerians to reach out to the less privileged, saying the number of the blind begging on the streets would reduce tremendously if they were given free eye treatment.
Dame Okowa lamented that many blind children are kept at home by their parents without any medical examination and treatment.
The week long programme, was designed by the charity and non-profitable organisation to tackle cataracts and other eye defects that could lead to blindness among underprivileged adults and children across various villages and communities in Oshimili South, North and Aniocha North, South LGAs.
The exercise also included screening of patients by trained medical staff, full ophthalmic and medical examination of patients prior to surgery and the eventual surgery performed by the surgeons.
One of the Consultant Ophthalmologist urged Nigerians with a family history of glaucoma to go for eye tests regularly to avoid going blind.
“Someone who already has an eye problem will need to visit the hospital anytime the doctor fixes an appointment while those without eye defect can visit the hospital once a year or once in two years.
“For those who are blind, they should only go for an eye check if they have a complaint but for those who are visually impaired, they should keep to the doctor’s appointment because visual impairment does not mean the person is blind, instead it means the person has vision to some extent but not totally blind. Some improve by vision aids,” she said
Among those who witnessed the commencement of the program are the commissioner of health Dr Mordi Ononye, Oshimili South LG Chairman Hon Kelvin Obi and Chairmen of LGAs, PDP oshimili south chairman Ogbueshi Dada Okonji, Barr. Bridget Anyafulu and other party leaders and dignitaries.
More significantly, the programme serves as an avenue for indigenous medical and para-medical personnel to build their capacity through the training offered by the team of doctors provided by the non-political foundation that conducts the free sight-giving medical examination exercise for the underprivileged people, mostly women and children.
There is no gift in the world better than giving sight to the visually impaired. This perhaps may be the belief of the Mama Delta who vowed at that she would focus more on assuaging the plight of the poor and vulnerable through her foundation saying that there is no gift in the world better than giving sight to the visually impaired.
