Indian NGO conducts free eye surgeries in Nigeria

Abuja, Nov 21: An Indian NGO became a ray of hope to Nigeria, a West African country where over a million people are blind, when it successfully conducted free eye surgeries on over nine thousand patients suffering from eye ailments in the country.

The non-government organisation (NGO), Indo Eye Care Foundation (IECF) collaborated with Rotary Eye Institute Navsari and Rotary Club of Lagos for this initiative which lit up the lives of thousands of people in three states of the country.

"In Nigeria, facilities for treatment are very scarce as compared with the population," Secretary of Rotary Eye Institute, Navsari, Viral K Purohit, who is also an eye specialist, said.

"A great number of less privileged people who find it impossible to take care of their eye ailment due to monetary problems were benefited by the initiative," Purohit said while presenting some of the beneficiaries to the King of Lagos, His Royal Highness Oba Rilwan Babatunde Akiolu.

Announcing that the government of Lagos has granted a land for permanent eye care project, Purohit said “This permanent eye-care hospital will cost of over $1.3 million, which will be donated by the Indian community in Nigeria and many other corporate organisations," Mr Purohit said,

The hospital is expected to be fully operational by 2011.

OneIndia News