Brain Drain: Sanwo-Olu satisfied with number of optometrists in Nigeria

The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has expressed satisfaction with the large number of optometrists remaining in the country, in spite of persistent brain drain.

The governor made this known on Thursday at a conference organised by the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA), Lagos State Chapter, to commemorate the annual celebration of the World Optometry Day, in Lagos.

The conference, which had the theme: “The Optometrist: Providing Vision For All’’, was set aside to celebrate every optometrist for their role in eye care.
The celebration day started in 1986 by the International Optometric and Optical League to recognise the growing profession of Optometry in the world and the pivotal role they play in the provision of eye care to the populace.

Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said, “The first thing that struck me is the number of optometrists that are here today.

“It’s lovely to see that though many of our trained optometrists are leaving Lagos and Nigeria and going abroad, we still have a large number staying at home in Lagos.

“That means one of two things; either we’re producing enough optometrists that we can manage the brain drain, or that the environment is conducive for them to practise and therefore, a lot of them are staying behind.

“ And the community is appreciating the skill and the benefits that they provide to us. So, I came here today really to encourage the association.

“But, there’s nothing wrong with specialists going abroad to explore and to be exposed, but at the end of the day.

“It is obvious that they will want to come back because the optometry environment here looks very conducive for professionals to practice and to be happy, and to deliver a very nice service to the citizens of the state.’’
Dr Obinna Awiaka, National President of NOA, who said brain drain was a big issue, urged the government to pay more attention to the welfare of its members and healthcare workers.

He said that the country was falling short of Nigerian optometrists and doctors to man its health facilities, adding that they have all moved to the UK, U.S. and Saudi Arabia for greener pastures.

“Brain Drain is a huge problem, and the good thing about we optometrists is that we have a large number and we are also training more from the school to replace it.

“But, brain drain is something that is really affecting every sector, not just the medical sector.

“So, we are asking the government to pay more attention to the welfare of workers so that people will decide to stay home instead of wanting to go out,’’ he said.
Earlier, Dr Gloria Okoekhian, the Chairperson of NOA, Lagos State Chapter, called on the government to include optometrists in their teams and programs to allow for the provision of eye care to everyone.

“Good eyesight and vision are essential for a productive life, hence it is important that primary eye care be made available and accessible to all.
“Primary eye care plays a key role in the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment and as such places a responsibility on the shoulders of the optometrist, the primary eye care practitioner, who helps patients and their families take the first step toward healthier eyes and healthier lives.

“It is, therefore, imperative that stakeholders in eye care like optometrists are duly recognised, projected, empowered and included in teams and programs that promote and provide eye care to everyone,’’ Okoekhian said.

NAN reports that the conference provided an opportunity for optometrists to identify and explore global trends and developments in the eye care industry that will further enhance their skills and enable them to raise the bar in standards of care to patients.

Note: This article have been indexed to our site. We do not claim legitimacy, ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here

Related Posts
The detailing on this tattoo is insane thumbnail

The detailing on this tattoo is insane

Abspielen0:000:00EinstellungenVollbildMelde dich an oder registriere dich, um zu kommentierenLevel 1Mod · 5 Std. · Angehefteter KommentarGesperrtWe've just hit 5 million subscribers! To celebrate, we are giving away three awards of 1 month of reddit premium :D See this thread for more info! Post your celebration entry in that thread. Thank you to all of our…
Read More
Hot Seat: Philip Reinking of Allied Solutions thumbnail

Hot Seat: Philip Reinking of Allied Solutions

The housing industry experienced dramatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. With fluctuating volume, mortgage servicers are still struggling to effectively scale their business. Tack on the challenges presented by not being able to connect in person, and it’s clear that servicers are navigating a unique set of obstacles. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the world…
Read More
'The word TAX is used 1,829 times'! Tom Elliott covers just a 'few' ridiculous things in Dems $3.5 trillion spending bill in INFURIATING thread thumbnail

‘The word TAX is used 1,829 times’! Tom Elliott covers just a ‘few’ ridiculous things in Dems $3.5 trillion spending bill in INFURIATING thread

The Democrats’ $3.5 TRILLION dollar spending bill is thousands and thousands of pages … because nothing says a bill is ‘necessary’ like having to use thousands of pages to explain what it is. Or there is just that much spending in the freakin’ thing.Sort of reminds us of Dr. Evil, ‘ELEVENTY TRILLION DOLLARS!’Tom Elliott was…
Read More
Social grants: Here are SASSA payment dates for January 2022 thumbnail

Social grants: Here are SASSA payment dates for January 2022

The schedule for social grants SASSA payment dates for January 2022 is now available, including for disability, older persons and all other grants. Given the social distancing requirements aimed at curbing COVID-19 infections, the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) allocates different payment dates for different grant categories. The different dates are selected to avoid situations…
Read More
CP orders investigation into battering of female officer by ACP thumbnail

CP orders investigation into battering of female officer by ACP

Please enable cookies. You are unable to access vanguardngr.com Why have I been blocked? This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command…
Read More
Index Of News
Total
0
Share