A bill that would amend the National Eye Center Act of 2004 and create five new specialist eye care centers—one in each of the five geopolitical zones—as well as the current center in Kaduna, which is situated in the North Central zone, has been approved by the House of Representatives. The bill is sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and six co-sponsors.
Reports state that the bill’s adoption comes as the Senate continues to discuss President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tax reform bills.
Speaking on the broad outlines of the National Eye Center Act modification during Wednesday’s plenary session, Kalu underlined the legislation’s objective of increasing access to high-quality eye care services throughout all six geopolitical zones.
He also emphasized how crucial the amendment is to meeting the nation’s expanding healthcare needs and the increased incidence of ailments linked to the eyes.
“As we all know, access to high-quality healthcare services is essential for our citizens’ well-being, particularly in specialized fields like eye care,” he stated. According to the statistics, cataracts, glaucoma, and refractive errors are still common in many parts of Nigeria, particularly in rural areas with limited access to specialized treatment. These disorders are preventable and treatable, and they are a major source of impairment in the country.
“Unfortunately, despite its admirable efforts, the current National Eye Center in Kaduna is unable to sufficiently address the eye care demands of our large and diversified country. Disparities in access to eye care services have resulted from this insufficiency, especially for people living in rural or underdeveloped areas.
Therefore, by extending the formation of National Eye Centers to key places throughout the nation’s six geographical zones, the proposed modifications seek to address this issue. Our goal is to ensure that no Nigerian is left behind because of geographic limitations by offering a framework that will improve and expand access to high-quality eye care.
“We want to guarantee that all Nigerians, wherever they may be, have access to high-quality eye care services. This is a social justice and equitable issue, not just a healthcare issue. The following are the main features of this law, which aims to increase and improve access to high-quality eye care in Nigeria:
The primary legislation only called for 1 eye care center in Kaduna, North West Nigeria; it did not initially address the establishment of five additional specialist eye care centers scattered throughout the remaining five geopolitical zones of Nigeria.