FG to offer 25,000 free cataract surgeries nationwide by 2027

Nigeria's federal government has committed to providing 25,000 free cataract surgeries across the country by the end of 2027. This significant undertaking is part of a broader strategy to combat avoidable blindness and enhance access to quality eye care services for its citizens.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, announced the initiative on Thursday during a conference in Abuja. The surgeries will be conducted under the "Renewed Hope Health Connect" program, designed to bring healthcare closer to underserved communities. Funding for the initiative has been secured in the 2025 and 2026 federal budgets, with implementation slated to begin in late October or early November.

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The process is already ongoing and, all things being equal, we hope to start the implementation by late October or early November this year.

Salako highlighted that eye health has been a neglected area, despite preventable visual impairment affecting millions of Nigerians. President Bola Tinubu's administration is prioritizing eye care, investing in reforms and strengthening healthcare systems to tackle blindness. The National Eye Health Strategic Development Plan 2024–2028 aims to integrate eye care across all healthcare levels for early detection nationwide.

Furthermore, the government has launched guidelines for glaucoma management and trained ophthalmologists nationwide. The "Nigeria JigiBola 2.0" initiative has already trained healthcare workers in vision screening, screened nearly two million people, and provided over 1.3 million with free reading glasses. The expanded JigiBola 2.0, under Renewed Hope Health Connect, aims to distribute at least five million free pairs of spectacles and the 25,000 cataract surgeries by 2027.

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The Jigi-Bola 2.0 is now being expanded under the Renewed Hope Health Connect to deliver at least five million free pairs of spectacles and 25,000 free cataract surgeries by the end of 2027.