The International Centre for Islamic Culture and Education on Saturday offered free eye medical treatment to over 400 residents of Baban Tunga village in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the free medical outreach was held at the Dr. Amina Abubakar Sani Bello Children and Women HealthCare Centre at Baban Tunga.
Addressing newsmen at the venue of the free medical outreach, Dr. Amina Kumalia, Head, Medical Team of ICICE, said a survey conducted by the centre revealed that eye problem was a predominant illness in the area.
Kumaila said: “Actually before this time we came here for a visit to assess the area and know the health needs of the community.
We met with the Village Head and his subjects and asked them questions about the most common illness around the area, which they told us was eye problem.
“So, that was why this medical outreach was organised with an optometrist to treat all our eye cases; we referred patients to him.
“We have seen in other communities that we visited in the past cases of other illness like Malaria, Hypertension, Diabetics, Peptic ulcer.
“We still have them here but the eye problem is more predominant illness in this area and luckily we have an optometrist that is rendering his service to the patients.
According to Kumalia, majority of the patients suffering from eye diseases in the area were middle age and elderly.
She said: “Most of the conditions were usually anti-allergic, bacterial eye infection and cataract; for cataracts all we can do was to refer the patient to a tertiary centre for possible surgery.”
Kumalia said in addition, over 800 patients, who were suffering from malaria, hypertension or diabetics, also benefitted from the free medical outreach in the area.
She said the inhabitants of the village were offered free Hepatitis A, B and C screening and treatments.
She appealed to the Niger State Government to provide medical facilities and personnel to provide effective healthcare delivery to the people of the area.
The Director-General of ICICE, Dr. Kabo Usman, restated the determination of the centre to address the health needs of rural communities in the country.
Usman, represented by Imam Mujaheed Amin, Technical Assistant to the DG, promised that the centre would continue to collaborate with embassies and other relevant agencies to improve the living conditions of the less privilege in the society.
The Village Head of Baban Tunga, Malam Adamu Dantsoho, expressed appreciation to the centre for coming to their aid, describing it as divine intervention.