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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Registrar, Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN), Dr Obinna Awiaka, has lauded Governor Alex Otti over the establishment of world-class eye centres in Abia State.
Dr. Awiaka, who made the commendation after inspecting the facilities in Umuahia, Arochukwu, and Aba as part of an accreditation exercise for optometrists and dispensing opticians internship and housemanship, said he was, particularly, impressed by the quality, sophistication, and quantity of equipment deployed by the state government for eye care.
The registrar said his team had inspected eye care facilities at the Abia State Specialist Hospital, Umuahia, Arochukwu General Hospital, and Aba General Hospital, adding that the assessment was aimed not only at determining their readiness to provide eye care services but, also, their suitability for training optometrists and dispensing opticians.
“First of all, I’m impressed with what I’m seeing. Not to preempt the result of what I came here for, we came to accredit the facility for not just eye care services but, also, for internship purposes.
“And, I must tell you that I’ve not seen anything like this in Nigeria. Never. This is over almost three decades of practice, and I’m really thrilled at the attention, the standard, the quality, and the amount of instruments that have been committed into this place just for the people of Abia State.”
He said the facilities had the potential to serve as referral centres beyond Abia, noting that patients from other parts of the South East and South-South could access specialised eye care services there.
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“I see this as a place that will not just serve the people of Abia State. What we have here will see people coming from all over the South-South and South East to come and access eye care,” he said.
Awiaka linked the development to the broader objective of universal health coverage, describing the investment as an example of the kind of infrastructure required to expand access to quality healthcare.
“This is what the President meant when he talked about universal health coverage,” he said, commending the state government for what he described as a visionary investment in eye health. He urged other state governments to understudy the Abia model, stressing: “This is what eye care needs. This is what we need in Nigeria.”
While declining to preempt the outcome of the accreditation exercise, Awiaka said the formal report would be ready within two weeks.
The Administrator of Abia State Eye Health Management Bureau, Dr Betty Emeka-Obasi, said the development represented a major departure from the situation inherited by the present administration, when eye care services were scattered across hospitals without a dedicated agency responsible for eye health outcomes.
Obasi described the accreditation exercise as an “epoch-making” event, noting that it was the first time in the 35-year history of Abia State that the state would pursue accreditation of its eye care facilities for housemanship and internship.
