OSN Annual Conference Opens with Free Cataract Surgeries in Kano
The Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN) has commenced a free cataract surgery programme in Kano as part of events marking its 50th Annual National Conference.
The exercise, which began on Sunday at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), is expected to provide surgery for 500 patients living with cataract, the leading cause of blindness in Nigeria.
Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the conference, Dr. Umar Farouk Ibrahim, said 400 patients would undergo surgery at AKTH with support from the AMA Foundation, while another 100 would be treated at Murtala Muhammad Hospital in collaboration with Sight Booth Hospital, a private facility in Kano.
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“Cataract remains the number one cause of blindness in the country, but it is entirely curable through surgery,” Ibrahim said. “This programme is about restoring sight to those who need it most but cannot afford treatment.”
Project Manager of AMA Foundation, Muhammad Nasir Musa, said the foundation supplied consumables for 450 surgeries and also provided facilities for screening minor eye conditions, distributing reading glasses, and offering free medications. He added that the Kaduna-based organisation has carried out similar interventions in nearly 26 states across the country.
“This is our way of payback to society and supporting the less privileged,” Musa said, while urging wealthy individuals and organisations to emulate such initiatives.
One of the beneficiaries, Zainab Umar from Takai Local Government Area, expressed appreciation. “The programme is free, we didn’t pay anything, and my eyes will be operated on,” she said.
The OSN conference, hosted in Kano this year, also features medical outreaches, scientific sessions, and social activities aimed at strengthening ophthalmology practice in Nigeria.
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