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Nigeria to provide 25,000 free cataract surgeries by 2027
The Federal Government of Nigeria announced that it will carry out 25,000 free cataract surgeries across the country by the end of 2027. The surgeries will be delivered under the Renewed Hope Health Connect initiative, with funding already allocated in the 2025 and 2026 federal budgets. Implementation is slated to begin in late October or early November 2023, according to Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Dr Iziaq Salako, who made the announcement at the 49th Annual Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Optometric Association and the African Council of Optometry in Abuja.
The plan is part of a broader eye‑health drive that also targets the distribution of at least five million free spectacles by 2027 through the Jigi‑Bola 2.0 initiative. More than 2,220 primary‑healthcare workers in 16 states have been trained to conduct vision screening, and the programme has already screened nearly two million Nigerians and provided over 1.3 million free reading glasses. The government also inaugurated the Nigeria Glaucoma Guidelines and Toolkit, with ophthalmologists from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory trained on the new protocols. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emphasised expanding primary eye‑care services as a national development priority.
Entities
Dr Iziaq Salako · Federal Government of Nigeria · Jigi‑Bola 2.0 initiative · National Eye Health Strategic Development Plan 2024‑2028 · President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The government aims to deliver at least five million free spectacles by 2027 through the Jigi‑Bola 2.0 initiative. tribuneonlineng.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Nigeria Glaucoma Guidelines and Toolkit have been inaugurated, and ophthalmologists from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory have been trained on them. www.premiumtimesng.com · nannews.ng · thewhistler.ng · tribuneonlineng.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Funding for the cataract surgery programme was allocated in the 2025 and 2026 federal budgets. www.premiumtimesng.com · nannews.ng · thewhistler.ng · tribuneonlineng.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] More than 2,220 primary‑healthcare workers in 16 states have been trained to conduct vision screening under the Jigi‑Bola 2.0 initiative. www.premiumtimesng.com · nannews.ng · thewhistler.ng · tribuneonlineng.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Jigi‑Bola 2.0 programme has screened almost two million Nigerians and provided more than 1.3 million free reading glasses. www.premiumtimesng.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] The cataract surgeries will be delivered under the Renewed Hope Health Connect initiative. www.premiumtimesng.com · nannews.ng · thewhistler.ng · tribuneonlineng.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Federal Government of Nigeria will perform 25,000 free cataract surgeries nationwide by the end of 2027. www.premiumtimesng.com · nannews.ng · thewhistler.ng · tribuneonlineng.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] Implementation of the cataract surgery programme is expected to begin in late October or early November 2023. www.premiumtimesng.com · nannews.ng · thewhistler.ng · tribuneonlineng.com