Minister Wants Association To Embrace PPP Initiative

The Nigerian Optometric Association has been urged to take advantage of Federal Government’s Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative to provide quality eye-care services to the people.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, made the call while declaring open the 37th  Annual General Meeting of the association on Thursday in Umuahia.
Chukwu who was represented the by Chief Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia Prof. Abali Chuku, identified some of the “co-location models of PPP’’ the association could exploit as facility management, lease, build, operate and transfer, build-own-operate-transfer and stand-alone project, among others.
In a goodwill message Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State called on the Association to use the conference to fashion out solutions to the nation’s multiple challenges to ensure improved eye-care services.
Orji, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Emeka Ananaba, noted that solutions could be found through regular training of members of the Association and assessment of care providers.
He called for the adequate handling of the growing cases of glaucoma and other eye diseases as part of the solution to the country’s health challenges.
The Registrar, Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board, Dr Samuel Ntem, described the conference as ‘’very significant’’ and ‘’a home-coming’’ to the home base of the architect of Optometry training in Nigeria.
Ntem paid glowing tribute to the man described as the father of Optometry in Nigeria, Prof. Paul Ogbuehi, whose vision, he noted, “saw the birth of Optometry in Nigeria’’ and urged stakeholders in PPP to place professionalism and interest of patients above self gains.
The chairman of the occasion, Chief Ude Okochukwu, who is the Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, said that the Assembly had passed bills that would help to improve health care services in the state.
In an address of welcome, the National President of the Association, Dr Ikechukwu Nwakuche, said the conference with the theme ‘’Public Private Partnership in Delivering Quality Eye-care Services’’ was meant to set a new agenda for the profession.
Nwakuche underscored the need to expand the profession’s platform to facilitate growth.
‘’It is hoped that this can be achieved through a strategic and constructive engagement of the public and private sectors, to optimise the reach and quality of services by Optometrists in Nigeria’’.
In her speech, the state chairperson of the Association, Dr Joy Alozie, expressed the hope that training at the conference would help participants to improve their practice.
‘’We will go home fully equipped to improve our practice to be able to meet the target of Vision 20:20:20,’’ Alozie said.