The Lagos State government has said it will convert one of its general hospitals into a centre for ophthalmic speciality to improve care for patients with eye conditions.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, said this during the fourth Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Africa Retina Society on Thursday in Lagos.
The event was themed, “Upscaling Retinal Services in a Resource-Constrained Economy.”
Abayomi said the centre would provide world-class diagnostic, medical, surgical and ophthalmic services in Lagos and Nigeria.
According to Abayomi, the state through its Ministry of Health has forged a partnership with the Chagoury Group
to develop a specialist eye hospital in Lagos to boost access to eye services.
He stressed that the state would prioritise eye health, noting that the state was working on developing screening capacity of all its primary healthcare facilities to detect eye diseases early.
The commissioner further said that efforts are ongoing to promote eye screening, especially in schools, starting with the training of teachers to detect students exhibiting challenges with their vision.
He added that the state would leverage social health insurance to screen, detect and treat eye diseases as patients present at health facilities.
The commissioner further said the state would strengthen public awareness and understanding on eye health, especially glaucoma and visual acuity.
