The Abuja-based Tulsi Chanrai Foundation Eye Hospital has performed 2504 free eye surgeries for indigent patients in the past one year. The Director, Chanrai Group Advisor,  Kannan Narayanan of the Tulsi  Chanrai Foundation,(TCF) said this yesterday when he conducted journalists round the Specialist Eye hospital at Kukwaba, near Games Village, Abuja. 

 

“The hospital has served more than 34,000 persons during its one year of existence. About 60% to70 % of the services are provided free of charge to marginalised communities, while for the rest tariff is at highly subsidized rate.  3224 eye surgeries were performed in the last one year of which 2504 were free and, 720 were paid for.” he said. Narayanan said the foundation has conducted 77 outreaches to communities in and around Abuja from were some of the indigent patients were found.

 

One of the patients, Rabi Ali, who benefitted from the eye surgery, said she has had the condition for two years. “I have had cataract for two years and my neigbour who benefitted from the free eye surgery told me about this hospital. They have just done a surgery to remove the cataract in my eyes and I am recovering,” she said.

 

A consultant Ophthalmologist at the hospital  Dr. Deepak Kumar said, 90% of the surgeries done were for cataract and glaucoma. “These are leading causes of blindness but with a 15 minutes surgery for cataract and an hour surgery for glaucoma, these blindness can be prevented” he said.