National Eye Centre: Senator Sani Decries Poor State of Facilities
National Eye Centre: Senator Sani Decries Poor State of Facilities
By Our Reporter
Senator Representing Kaduna Central and Chairman Senate Committee on Internal and Foreign debts , Senator Shehu Sani on Monday decried the poor state of facilities at the National Eye Centre , Kaduna.
Addressing management of the Hospital during an impromptu visit to the eye centre , Senator Sani who also expressed displeasure over the poor funding and unlawful encroachment of the hospital land, said National Eye Centre is a strategic health institution that should not be neglected .
According to him , a situation where hundreds of public office holders and government officials travel to Dubai, Egypt ,India and some European countries for medical treatment is unfortunate.
While blaming previous government for neglecting the gigantic national eye centre built to take care eye problems in the country , he said millions of foreign exchange that move out to the medical institutions outside Nigeria can be saved .
Meanwhile, he admitted that it has reached a point that those who attend the eye centre are poor Nigerians Sani, who emphasized that there is no better time to focus attention on the hospital than now , promised to help convey the problems of the hospital to the newly appointed Health Minister and National assembly committees.
“National Eye center is a place for the masses to seek and get proper medical attention at an affordable price , but past governments failed to equip and fund it adequately” He lamented.
He said as Senator , he took it upon himself to charge of a federal institutions within his constituency and see how to help , adding ” Once leaders grow blind population, they grow blind leaders.”
On issue of unlawful encroachment of the hospital land by host Mahuta community members, Sani said it can’t be tolerated and promised to take up the issue and discuss it with appropriate authority.
In her response, the Acting Chief Medical Director, Dr. Helen Alen thanked the Senator for the unscheduled visit , but complained that poor funding, High cost of treatment and inadequate access to eye care are some of the challenges militating against the growth of the hospital.
She however urged Senator Sani to support the hospital to carry out a free eye surgery on indigent members of Kaduna communities .
