At least 70 percent of the ongoing free eye surgeries and 50 percent of the overall medical interventions in Ilorin General Hospital have been carried out, with beneficiaries commending the Kwara State Government and other sponsors of the exercise for the gesture.
Beneficiaries singled out Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for commendation for the corrective surgeries and other interventions which they said were made possible with multimillion naira equipment the government newly supplied to the hospital, especially in the intensive care unit (ICU).
The interventions, which began on Monday, are sponsored by the state government in partnership with the Kwara State Association of Nigeria, North America (KSANG) and Sakinah Medical Outreach.
As at yesterday, nearly 70 of the 100 cataract surgeries have been done while 250 glasses have been given to patients suffering from various eye disorders, according to the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital Prof. Abdulfatai Olokoba.
He said additional 300 surgeries were being carried out across specialties of obstetrics and gynaecology, general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, and neurosurgical interventions within the week.
Olokoba added that the surgical interventions have led to impressive capacity building within the General Hospital with the supply of more equipment, the opening of new wards and the ICU, which he said would be useful to the state.
Dr. Salman Yusuf, chairman of the Sakinah Medical Outreach and head of the Volunteer Doctors, said they partook in the programme to support AbdulRazaq’s efforts to improve basic healthcare delivery in the state.