By Gbenga Akingbule.
The North East Development Commission (NEDC) on Monday completed a two-week training programme alongside the installation of N3 billion worth of ophthalmology equipment it procured for the Borno State Eye and Dental Hospital in Maiduguri.
Gatekeepers News reports that, according to NEDC officials, the initiative is aimed at repositioning the hospital for improved service delivery through the replacement of old equipment with modern and sophisticated machines.
This was disclosed by the Managing Director/CEO of NEDC, Goni Alkali in Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital.
According to the Alkali “Last two ago, we were here to assess the situation of machines on ground, and we discovered that, there is the need to replace most of these old equipment. We procured some of the modern equipment last year, and we are here again not only to install these machines, but to also interact with staff on ground who have undergone two weeks training on how to handle or manage these equipment.
“NEDC is not intervening in Borno Eye Hospital, we have spent a lot of resources in the health sector across many hospitals and tertiary health institutions in all the six states of the North East, in addition to the training and retraining of health workers”. Alkali stated.
The NEDC boss said the initiative represents a major milestone in the Commission’s ongoing efforts to enhance specialist healthcare services in the North-East Region.
The training lead, Prof. Abdul Mohammed Mahdi, an expert and Chief Consultant in Ophthalmology from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi state, co -facilitated by Dr Abuh Sunday, Chief Consultant in Opthalmology, supported by other team of experts, brought together decades of clinical, academic, and technical expertise to ensure smooth conduct of the exercise.
Prof. Mahdi revealed that the training is designed to enhance surgical and diagnostic capacity, improve clinical outcomes for cataract and glaucoma patients, and strengthen the hospital’s ability to deliver safe, modern, and efficient eye-care services.
