The Government of Ekiti State has secured a partnership with Grace for Impact (an International non-governmental organization), to re-brand the School Health Programme across the state, with a major focus on eye screening and treatment exercise for school children across the state.
Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, who signed on behalf of the State Government, commended the NGO for coming to Ekiti State at this time.
The State Health Commissioner, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Mrs. Folakemi Olomojobi, emphasized that the partnership will cater for children of school age in order to prevent blindness, eye infection and also to better the health of the children through the screening and treatment exercise across Primary and Secondary Schools in the state.
“Those with eye infections will be treated and those without any infection will be screened to prevent eye infection”, she stated.
Dr Yaya-Kolade pledged the commitment of the present administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi to protecting Ekiti children from the plight of blindness and other forms of preventable eye diseases and infections by ensuring that children in schools are screened and given proper treatment as she described them as one of the vulnerable groups in the society.
“It was noted that about 80% of blindness and eye infection cases affect most children at early age of birth who were not given proper treatment, as a result of lack of awareness with proper screening and treatment exercise, which lead to the increase in population of children having eye problem or even blind at early age,” the Commissioner mentioned.
Earlier in her remark, the CEO, Grace for Impact, Mrs Amanda Childress described the Organization as a globally recognized NGO that cut across three Continents with headquarters in Dallas, Texas with major activities and programs in Nigeria.
She reiterated that partnership with Ekiti State Ministry of Health and Human Services will help reach out to over four to five thousand children who will benefit from this program and will be attended to free in Ekiti State.
Mrs Amanda noted that “80% of the Eye infections and blindness are due to lack of awareness and sensitization which has made many children end up being blind in school when a short and simple treatment would have saved the sight of those children”.
In a goodwill message from the Ministry of Education, asserting that partnership between the Ministry of Health and Human Services and Grace for Impact will truly enhance, promote and improve the learning ability of the school children, because if their sight is good then they can learn better.
The state has been divided into the eight Federal constituencies to ease the screening and treatment exercise. Two Primary and two Secondary Schools have been selected where the screening and treatment exercise will take place in each of the sixteen Local Governments across the state.
