No fewer than 500 patients are to benefit from the ongoing free cataract operations being undertaken by the Governor Kayode Fayemi administration for residents of Ekiti State.

 

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Folakemi Olomojobi, said the state government organised the surgery to fulfill Fayemi’s promise that all cataract patients discovered during the state’s free health programme would be operated upon free of charge.

 

Olomojobi spoke at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, on Monday during the commencement of the second phase of the surgery that about 187 patients, including 10 children, would undergo cataract operation in the ongoing phase of the programme.

 

She said 275 cataract patients were attended to during the first phase of the surgery.

 

The medical personnel said, “During the first phase, free health surgeries were carried out in 11 local government areas. We operated on 275 cataract patients, but we have gone a little bit further to harvest 187 more patients, including 10 children, from the remaining five local government areas where the second phase of the free health programme is taking place.”

 

Three of the beneficiaries, Mrs Oyewumi Rachael, Mr Tunde Ogunniyi and nine-year-old Matthias Emmanuel sought continuation and sustenance of the programme.

 

The surgery, which began on Monday, is expected to run for one week.