Mr Olaide Akinremi, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Science Research Institute , on Friday, commenced a three-day eye treatment for 5,000 residents of Oyo State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akinremi, representing Ibadan North Federal Consistency, made the medical outreach open to all the people of the state.
NAN also reports that the programme is being handled by no fewer than 15 medical personnel from the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
Akinremi told NAN that the eye outreach was aimed at catering for people with sight challenges.
He said that the programme was about eye advocacy, whereby test would be carried out on the beneficiaries and adequate treatment given to them.
“Those who require glasses will be given while those with mild eye issues that require drugs or eye drops will get them,” he said.
According to him, eye is the most important part of the body that needs utmost care and attention.
“When the eye is removed from the body, it will be very difficult for such a body to function. We all need to pay more attention to our eyes and constantly have them checked,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries, Ismail Olaide, expressed happiness with the medical outreach, saying that it would be of immense benefit to many people.
Olaide said that he had been going from one hospital to another for some months to seek medical attention for his ailing eyes.
“I have spent more than N200,000 and yet, there is no improvement. After my examination today, I now feel better, especially with the new pair of glasses given to me,” he said.
Another beneficiary, Julius Oyenekan, said he felt excited with the gesture by the lawmaker.
“This is one of its kinds because he has not limited it to only the people of his constituency. I believe other political office holders too should emulate his style of philanthropy,” he said.
A female beneficiary, Risikatu Rasheed said that she had been managing her bad eye sight for more than 15 years.
“I just heard about this programme on the radio and I thought that I just have to come here for permanent solution to my eye problem,” she said. (NAN)
