Iziaq Salako, minister of state for health and social welfare, says the federal government has launched a nationwide, fully subsidised eye care initiative under the renewed hope health connect programme.
Salako spoke in Abuja on Thursday during the eyeball summit 2025.
The summit was organised by the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN) with the theme “Shaping the future of eye care in Nigeria: Strengthening systems through strategic alliances”.
Salako said the new initiative includes free screening for refractive errors, treatment of eye conditions, cataract surgeries, and the distribution of prescription eyeglasses under the Jigi Bola 2.0 programme, an upgraded version of the original Lagos-based eye care intervention.
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“The 2025 budget, the renewed hope, health connect will provide 100 percent subsidised healthcare services to vulnerable Nigerians in hard-to-reach areas,” NAN quoted the minister as saying.
He urged stakeholders, including professional bodies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private sector players, and community leaders, to form strategic alliances to bridge gaps in training, infrastructure, and service delivery.
Salako also said there are plans to integrate eye care into primary healthcare, noting that community health workers and nurses are being trained to detect and refer eye conditions.
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He called on the regulatory board to clamp down on quack practitioners by adopting technology to monitor the practice of optometry in Nigeria.
The minister expressed hope that the summit would yield innovative recommendations to shape a sustainable, inclusive future for eye care in the country.
