Experts Warn of Paediatric Eye Care Crisis in Jigawa

Experts have identified significant challenges in paediatric eye care in Jigawa State, including a shortage of specialists, rising treatment costs, and poor public awareness, which threaten efforts to eliminate avoidable childhood blindness. These concerns were raised during a media dialogue on the Comprehensive and Inclusive Eye Health Project (BMZ Project), organized by the Jigawa State Government in collaboration with HANDS Nigeria in Dutse.

The project, funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through Christoffel Blinden Mission (CBM), aims to provide comprehensive eye care services to over 53,920 direct beneficiaries, including persons with disabilities. Although the project commenced in November 2022, children became direct beneficiaries in 2024 with the establishment of a Child Eye Health Programme at the Rasheed Shekoni Federal University Teaching Hospital.

The experts noted that the exit of the state’s only paediatric ophthalmologist has led to reliance on a visiting specialist, which they deemed unsustainable. They called for the recruitment of a permanent paediatric ophthalmologist and highlighted additional barriers such as high anaesthesia costs and inadequate clinical space.