The wife of Nigeria’s Vice President, Amina Sambo has conducted off a seven days free eye screening and cataracts surgery at the Gombe State Specialist Hospital from 18th of December, 2013.
Amina Sambo, who is the founder of the I-CARE Women and Youth Initiatives said in her address during the exercise that with the programme which commenced at the camp from Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd of December 2013, the I-CARE Women and Youth Initiative has complemented government efforts to enhance productivity and self reliance in the country through the offering of free eye care services to the people.
The Vice President’s wife further explained that the I-CARE Women and Youth Initiatives in collaboration with the International Islamic Relief Organisation and the Federation of Islamic Medical Association has brought the total number of beneficiaries of the free eye screening and cataracts surgery for men, women and children in the twenty three Local Government Areas of Kaduna State to one thousand two hundred and sixty three high between 2009 and 2011.
She also disclosed that the success recorded in the North-West zone of the country has enabled her to expand the scope of work to Gombe State in the North-East. She promised that the initiative will soon be taken to the North-Central to enable more people enjoy the free medical care services.
Amina called on the people of Gombe State to make adequate use of the free eye care services at their door posts to prevent blindness as well as overturn the blindness caused by cataracts towards regaining their sight and becoming productive members of their communities.
“The free eye care service has provided a team of eleven foreign doctors supported by six local doctors, twenty nurses and other supporting staff of the Gombe General Hospital to provide screening, consultation, drugs and correctional eye glasses free to any one thousand identified patients,” VP’s wife stated. She therefore implored beneficiaries of these services to remain peaceful and productive citizens of Nigeria, instead of living miserable lives and plunging into begging.
While promising to maintain a regular free eye care service to assist the needy; she espoused on the procurement of four brand new operating microscopes, bio-metric machines and slit lamps to strengthen and ensure continuity in the provision of free eye care services in the country.
She also commended the Board of Trustees of the I-CARE Women and Youth Initiatives; the International Islamic Relief Organisation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Federation of Islamic Medical Associations (FIMA) for their professional and technical support to the project. She thanked the Gombe State Government and people for the cooperation which afforded her the opportunity of participation in the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan for the betterment of Nigeria.
The Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Hassan Goni Aji in his remarks commended Amina Sambo for her motherly care towards humanity through the I-CARE Women and Youth Initiatives. He pointed out that the programme has touched on people’s lives, especially the free eye screening and cataracts surgery; enabling the poor to obtain healthcare services, making them productive members of their communities and improving socio-economic activities in Nigeria.
The Governor also said that his administration has been proving good healthcare services across the State such as modern medical equipments to replace obsolete ones in the general hospitals; upgrading the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Gombe State as well as the School of Health Technology in Kaltungo and the construction of a new College of Nursing in Dukku, among other primary healthcare development projects. He called on the people of Gombe to take advantage of what he described as great opportunity for improvement on their well being and that of the nation.
The International Coordinator of the Federation of Islamic Medical Association in Nigeria, Riyal Ahmed explained that the I-CARE free eye screening and cataracts surgery which took place in Gombe State was a product of the philanthropic service of Amina Sambo, stating that such services had already been executed in other states in the northern part of Nigeria.
“This Gombe free eye screening is the third of its kind to be executed by the Federation of Islamic Medical Association in Nigeria, Chad and the Gambia, among others. Medical attention has been given to ninety eight thousand cataracts patients and other eye defects to assist in the alleviation of human health problems in accordance to Allah’s injunctions,” she revealed.
The dignitaries present at the occasion were the wife of the Governor of Gombe State, Saida Nasiru Ila; Wife of the member representing Gombe State in the House of Representatives, the wife of the Head of Service of the Federation, Aishatu Goni Aji; the Commissioner for Health in Gombe State, Isa Ima; the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of I-CARE Women and Youth Initiatives, Shehu Ibrahim and other notable Nigerians.
Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Press Release
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