The shortage of paediatric eye specialists, rising cost of treatment and poor public awareness have been identified as major threats to efforts aimed at eliminating avoidable childhood blindness in Jigawa State.
Stakeholders raised the concern during a media dialogue on the Comprehensive and Inclusive Eye Health Project (BMZ Project), organised by the Jigawa State Government in collaboration with HANDS Nigeria in Dutse.
They warned that unless the challenges are urgently addressed, the remarkable gains recorded under the project in expanding access to quality eye care services for children and other vulnerable groups could be eroded.
Funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through Christoffel Blinden Mission (CBM), the project is designed to provide comprehensive and inclusive eye care services to over 53,920 direct beneficiaries, including persons with disabilities, while about 3.9 million residents are expected to benefit indirectly.
Chairman of the Jigawa State Eye Health Committee, Dr. Usman Abdullahi Hadejia, represented by Dr. Abubakar Abdullahi Guri, said the intervention is being implemented in secondary health facilities located in Dutse, Hadejia, Gumel, Ringim and Kazaure.
He explained that the initiative, adapted from the National Eye Health Strategic Plan, was introduced to strengthen eye care service delivery across the state.
According to the experts, although the project commenced in November 2022, children became direct beneficiaries in 2024 following the establishment of a Child Eye Health Programme at the Rasheed Shekoni Federal University Teaching Hospital, Dutse.
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They noted that the programme has significantly reduced referrals outside the state by providing specialised services, including children’s eye screening, refraction, prescription of corrective spectacles, cataract and glaucoma surgeries, squint correction, low vision assessment, contact lens services and examination under anaesthesia.
The experts added that the project has equipped the teaching hospital with modern ophthalmic equipment, trained optometrists and ophthalmic nurses, and upgraded its eye theatre to handle specialised paediatric surgeries.
However, they lamented the exit of the state’s only paediatric ophthalmologist, explaining that a visiting specialist from Jos University Teaching Hospital has been providing monthly services since November 2025 through the support of CBM.
Describing the arrangement as unsustainable, they appealed to the state government to recruit a permanent paediatric ophthalmologist to safeguard the progress already achieved.
The experts also listed the high cost of anaesthesia, parents’ reluctance to consent to surgery, inadequate clinical space and poor awareness as additional barriers preventing many children from accessing timely eye care.
They called for sustained public enlightenment campaigns, increased subsidies for paediatric eye surgeries and the establishment of a dedicated children’s eye clinic to improve access to specialised services.
State Programme Manager of HANDS Nigeria, Yusif Lawan, described the media as an indispensable partner in promoting eye health awareness, saying early detection and treatment remain the most effective ways of preventing avoidable blindness among children.
He disclosed that the project has reached 179 communities through mobilisation campaigns, engaged 42 Organisations of Persons with Disabilities, sensitised 78 private health facilities and trained 60 journalists to support eye health advocacy in the state.
The stakeholders also commended the Jigawa State Government for subsidising cataract surgery to ₦18,500, providing ₦30,000 treatment support for 300 children requiring specialised care, funding 1,000 cataract surgeries annually and investing in specialist training and modern eye care equipment.
They further announced that the German Government has approved a 13-month extension of the project from April 2026 to May 2027 to consolidate the gains recorded in improving inclusive eye care services across Jigawa State.
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