Pensioners and other senior citizens in the nation’s capital on Wednesday, received free medical treatment and eye screening aimed at promoting their eye sight and to help them perform optimally in their day to day activities even after retirement from active service.
The outreach organised by a serving member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Dr. Chukwunazor Okafor, stressed that eye sight is among most sensitive senses in the human body as approximately 80 percent of what the body perceive come through the sense of sight and therefore, the importance of protecting ones eyes.
In her words, “This medical outreach is to bring sensitization to your door step for all of you to adopt habit of preventing measures and observe regular checks of the eyes. There is already growing concerns on not detecting age related pathologies for the elderly, when this lingers for long could lead to visual impairment later in life.
“I recommend regular checks of the eye as an important habit of paying attention to the eye considering the fact that vision and insight are not same, vision has to do with the eyes both working together with the brain while sight is just seeing without making exact detail of what is seen.
“This humanitarian service to my country is to show care to the less privileged and the pensioners. It would be my delight in getting more people getting involved in providing eye care to the Pensioners and also see more people giving importance in seeking care to their eye so as to avoid blindness among people in the country.”
In his remarks, the Zonal Inspector at the Wuse Zonal office of the NYSC FCT Secretariat, Elisha Dia, said the outreach attested to one of the cardinal aspect if the NYSC where Corps member are encouraged to give back to the society for national development.
Dia, who was represented by an Assistant Chief Inspector at the Secretariat, Mrs. Mary Magani, while alluding to a verse of the National anthem, said Dr. Princess is ensuring that “the labour of our hero’s past” does no go in vain.
The General Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners Mr. Actor Zal, who stood in for the president of the Union, described the initiative as historic as such gesture has been extended to the old citizens in through the NUP since its establishment.
He assured the corps member and other well meaning Nigerians willing to impact on the lives of senior citizens who have worked and served meritoriously and now time to reap the benefits of their dedication to national growth.
In her remarks, the founder and president of a non-governmental organisation, Helpline Foundation for the Needy Abuja, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, applauded Dr. Okafor and her team of medical practitioner for the courage and service to humanity.
Dr. Ahmadu who was represented by Damaris Yakubu, Assistant Programme Officer at the foundation, used the occasion to call on the beneficiaries of the programme to prioritize their health particularly their eyes, “knowing that how age could cause changes that can affect the health and vision.”
She added that, “It is important to know the role of vision and sights in the performance throughout life even after retirement. Hence all persons present here are urged to take home the message that they should endeavour to make themselves available in a health facility within their reach to undergo periodic eye check/screening as this is one of the sure ways to retain functioning and good eye sight through out life.”
The outreach with theme, “Perfect vision and sights for efficient performance throughout life” include the provision of free vision screening, blood sugar screening, general health talk, distribution of food items, toiletries, cloths and more.