*Appeals to govt to make more employment opportunities available for them

By Joseph Erunke

ABUJA– THE National Optometric Association,NOA,has called for proper implementation of National Eye Health Policy and the report of the National Eye Health Committee set up by the federal government to oversee equitable access to quality eye care services in the country.

It said if well implemented,the policy would go a long way in strengthening the Nigeria’s health system towards the attainment of the Universal Eye Health which it noted, “is an integral component of the Universal Health,UHC Coverage.

The association made the call, Thursday, through its president,Dr Obinna Awiaka, during its 45th Annual General Meeting/Expo and Conference in Abuja.

“We are optimistic that optometrists shall be fully integrated in the course of implementation of this policy especially at the primary health care level.

“This would go a long way in standardizing eye care services to the teaming population and at the same time reduce brain drain to the barest minimum,”Dr Awiaka said in a speech he read at the event.

He used the opportunity to “call on the government to make more employment opportunities available for optometrists to be gainfully employed in the health care sector as the current distribution of optometrists in Nigeria falls way below the World Health Organisation,WHO recommended proportion.”

Speaking further at the event with the theme:“Leveraging Partnerships to Transform Optometry and Eye care in West Africa”,Dr Awiaka said it was “pertinent to note that optometrists as the primary eye care providers have been at the forefront of waging war against visual impairment and blindness.”

“However, statistics available reveals that the number of people with vision loss is expected to rise from the current figure of 1.1 billion to 1.7 billion by 2050.

“Over 90% of this figure is in the low and middle income countries of which Nigeria is part of.

“Meanwhile, over 1.2 million aged 40 years and above are blind and a further 2.7 million adults 40 years and above with moderate visual impairment in Nigeria,”he said.

Açcording to him,”Globally, vision loss costs over $411 billion posing one of the greatest economic challenges one can imagine.”

“These statistics are scary and reemphasize the huge tasks and responsibility left for Optometrists, other eyecare professionals, action agencies and all stakeholders,”he added.

While noting that,”Partnerships promote innovation, evidence-based practices and enable parties involved to begin to work in new, more efficient or impactful ways”, Awiaka said:The advent of coronavirus (COVID-19) which swept across the world without warning driving individuals and professionals into their homes due to social distancing measures adopted globally has made the need for partnerships and collaborations more essential as the only way to retool and adapt to the new challenges occasioned by this pandemic.”

“Research has shown that the most effective partnerships are those built on a common goal and finding that all-important area of strategic complementarities that will increase the likelihood of the parties benefitting from the experience. Again, the need for collaboration, along with an understanding and empathy for the needs of others are adjudged to be the best alternatives to achieving common goals.

” Our common goal in this case is to ensure a healthier society in which no one is needlessly blind, a society in which everyone including those with unavoidable vision loss should live out their full potentials all-round.

“This can only be achieved with the full cooperation and partnership of all stakeholders as it is obvious that no group or individual can do it alone,”he further explained.