By Francis Sadhere
The International Association of Lions Clubs District 404 Nigeria, yesterday donated eye equipment used to measure eye pressure (a Pulsair Intellipuff Tonometer), to the Warri Central Hospital, Delta State.
The Multiple Council Chairperson, District 404 Nigeria, LN Samuel Ekpuk while handing over the equipment to the Medical Director of Warri Central Hospital, Dr. Agholor Kingsley, said that Lion Club was only redeeming some of the pledges it made to the hospital a few years ago.
He said he was bothered by the rate at which eye care services was getting out of the rich of the ordinary man in the country.
Ekpuk lamented that simple medical care services is gradually slipping out of the reach of the common man saying that if nothing is done by the government and private individuals, Nigerians will continue to suffer greatly.
He said that though Nigeria is lagging behind in term of medical services and facilities, there was need for Nigerians to make do with what they have presently.
He said the major challanges facing the health sector are manpower and proper procedure in handling medical cases in our hospitals. Ekpu added that the country has to manage the few eye facilities that it has.
Ekpu said he was worried about the rate at which all sectors in Nigeria embark on strike at every slight opportunity to demand for their rights, stressing that with the rate at which strike actions were going on in the country, the country will one day collapse.
He revealed that about 60% of Nigerians do not have access to good medical health care services because they do not have the money to pay for it. He added that the common man in the streets cannot afford to go to private hospitals in the country.
Ekpuk also noted that it was because the International Association of Lion Clubs was interested in equipping the nation’s eye hospitals, that was the why the club decided to try and build its own eye hospital in Abuja to cater for the poor people who cannot afford simple eye services.
Receiving the equipment, the Medical Director of Warri Central Hospital, Dr. Agholor while thanking Lion Club for donating the equipment to the hospital, said the equipment will go a long way in helping in diagnosing and treating eye problems, especially glaucoma.
Dr. Agholor called on other private individuals and nongovernmental organizations to imitate the Lion club and work with government hospitals with a view to seeing how they can donate equipment to them.
While noting that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has done a lot in improving the hospitals, he said that government cannot do it all, urging private individuals to come out and make specific donations to the hospital.
Also speaking, the Regional Chairperson, Warri Region 9, Fortune Wagbatsoma said the club is passionate about the Warri Central Hospital because the hospital has some of the best medical facilities in the state.
She added that she hoped the equipment will go a long way in diagnosing and treating eye problems which has gone out of the rich of the poor in the society.
