First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has known as for sustainable financing and public-private partnerships to cut back avoidable blindness and broaden entry to eye care in Nigeria.
The Bank made the decision at a roundtable in Abuja organised in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, by means of the National Eye, Ear and Sensory Functions Health Programme, and the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation (TCF). The theme was “Gift of Sight: Mobilising Partnerships and Sustainable Funding Towards Transforming Eye Care in Nigeria.”
“Eye health deserves a place among our national development priorities and should be viewed as an investment in human capital,” FCMB’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Yemisi Edun, stated in a speech delivered on her behalf by the Divisional Head, Corporate Affairs, Diran Olojo.
“Timely care helps people learn, earn, and participate more fully in their communities. People living with permanent vision loss must also have access to rehabilitation, support, and opportunities to participate fully in society,” she added.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, counseled the partnership and advocated financing mechanisms, together with blended finance, social impression bonds and company co-funding, to broaden entry to eye care.
“The federal government well appreciates your commitment and contributions,” Salako stated.
The National Coordinator of the National Eye, Ear and Sensory Functions Health Programme, Oteri Okolo, stated imaginative and prescient impairment deepens inequality and described restoring sight as an economical growth intervention.
TCF Chief Executive Officer Shravan Kasam highlighted the worth of mixing technical experience, private-sector sources and community-level supply to sort out avoidable blindness.
