EYE care services at the 30-year-old Guinness Eye Centre at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, have received a boost with a N161.3 million renovation by Guinness Nigeria PLC, as part of its corporate social responsibility.
At the commissioning of the renovated centre, which had treated about 72,000 cases, the board chairman, Guinness Nigeria PLC, Dr Omobola Johnson, said the company recognised the importance of sustaining and enhancing the quality of healthcare services provided by the centre, hence the extensive renovation and provision of modern equipment.
Dr Johnson declared, “It is our commitment to help the Nigerian people beyond what we do as a brewing company.
“It is a testament to our corporate social responsibility, what we like to see, what we like to do, and helping the community that has helped us to be successful. We expect that the Federal Government will do its part to support LUTH in maintaining the facility.”
The in-coming MD/CEO of Guinness Nigeria PLC, Mr Adebayo Alli, said the company realised the importance of eye health and is committed to supporting health facilities to bring excellent and affordable healthcare to Nigerians.
Mr Alli, while assuring the hospital management of continued support from Guinness Nigeria PLC, said the N5 million annual grant to the hospital will continue and asked that the hospital also maintain and keep the facility in good condition.
“Together, we can explore what the next frontier could be in terms of eye care. We will partner with LUTH and see how we can take this across the nation, touching lives every year.
“The Guinness Eye Centre is also a research centre; our prayer is that we get more people internationally to come into the centre and explore treatment. It will be nice for Nigeria to be the centre for eye surgery in Africa, and we will be more than happy to come in and assist in whatever way we can to make that a reality. The driving force is simply giving back to society,” Alli explained.
The Chief Medical Director of LUTH, Professor Wasiu Adeyemo, in his response, emphasised that the provision of quality health services is beyond the capacity of the government.
“Government alone, even in developed countries, cannot fully fund healthcare. I, therefore, appeal to all well-meaning Nigerians, corporate bodies and multinational companies to emulate Guinness Nigeria PLC and also extend their corporate social responsibility to us as an institution,” he pleaded.
The Guinness Eye Centre in LUTH is one of three facilities built and donated by Guinness Nigeria PLC to provide high-quality eye care services to Nigerians, as well as its capacity to train eye care professionals.
Available data indicates that there is a high prevalence of blindness and severe visual impairment among Nigerians over 40 years old. Significant differences exist between the geopolitical zones, and experts have advised that emphasis should be placed on ensuring eye services across Nigeria, which means that planning at the regional level is necessary.
