Niger Government Partners University Hospitals Birmingham To Strengthen State’s Blindness Control Programme

The Niger State Government through the State Ministry of Health has commenced negotiations towards a partnership agreement with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in the United Kingdom and Mainstream Energy Solutions to improve the rate of detection and treatment of blinding eye diseases in the state. The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Dr. Mohammed Makusidi made this disclosure last week at a meeting in Birmingham with a team of world class eye specialists led by Professor Peter Shah of the University of Birmingham and representatives of Mainstream Energy Solutions led by Alhaji Babangida Inuwa.

The meeting was initiated by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Mustapha Jibril as part of ongoing negotiations between the Niger State Ministry of Health, Queen Elizabeth Hospital United Kingdom and Mainstream Energy Solutions Nigeria Limited towards finding a sustainable solution to the unbearable burden of undetected blindness from glaucoma in Niger State. Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world and it is nicknamed the silent thief of sight because most often the disease is detected too late in affected individuals making it difficult to prevent the inevitable blindness that it causes.
According to the Permanent Secretary the partnership is aimed at creating a cost effective and sustainable programme for general glaucoma awareness, detection and treatment amongst the populace while strengthening local capacity for eye care through virtual education and telemedicine. He stated that through the arrangement, Professor Shah and his team of experts will be involved in a technical cooperation arrangement with home based eye care professionals whereby the former will provide technology transfer as well as consultancy and advisory services aimed at increasing community based detection and treatment of glaucoma and other blinding diseases in Niger State.

Dr. Makusidi further disclosed that funding for the novel initiative will be secured through a cost-sharing arrangement between the State Government and Mainstream Energy Solutions, the operators of both Kainji and Jebba hydro power plants as part of the latter’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) to the people of Niger State. The Permanent Secretary explained that the initiative is part of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello’s health restoration agenda which seeks to enhance access and quality of health care services for all Nigerlites through strategic partnership and cooperation.
In his remarks, Professor Shah averred that closing the gap between the huge burden of blindness and treatment needs in low and middle income countries requires “comprehensive education that targets practitioners, patients and populations with tailormade information that is appropriate and specific to their needs and this is what this partnership is all about”. He expressed his satisfaction with the level of commitment so far shown by the leadership of the Niger State Ministry of Health and promised to work with the Commissioner and his team to ensure the success of the initiative. He noted that given the long standing professional relationship between his team and key personnel of Mainstream Solutions he envisaged a cordial and productive working relationship in the months and years ahead.

Earlier in his presentation, Prof Shah had informed the Permanent Secretary’s entourage that his team has successfully implemented an ambitious sandwich program for the training of eye care professionals in East Africa. He further stated that the successful implementation of the East Africa program has inspired him and his team to explore other frontiers for replication, noting that the leadership demonstrated by the Niger State Government he is optimistic that Nigeria would be the next destination in their global search for solutions to preventable blindness in developing countries.

Explaining the involvement of Mainstream Energy Solutions in the evolving partnership, Alhaji Babangida Inuwa stated that Mainstream Foundation which is the company’s CSR arm views the initiative as an opportunity to participate in advancing the wellbeing of her host state as a way of further strengthening the cordial relationship between the company and her host communities. He expressed delight at the outcome of the initial discussions and hoped that the Ministry of Health will continue to provide the needed leadership towards ensuring that the initiative is fully actualized within the shortest possible time for the benefit of the people of Niger State.

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