Residents of several communities in Gombe State have benefitted from a week-long free eye screening exercise jointly organised by the Redeemers Aids Initiative for People and Community (RAPAC), the humanitarian arm of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).
Speaking on Sunday at Nasarawo community in Gombe Local Government Area, the RAPAC state coordinator, Mr Jones Oyemade, said the outreach was aimed at improving access to quality eye care for residents, especially those in rural areas.
According to him, the screening, which held across five communities in four LGAs, reached 1,622 people. A total of 1,420 reading glasses were distributed free, while others with more serious conditions were referred to health facilities for further treatment.
“Our target was to screen 5,000 individuals, but we couldn’t meet that figure. Interestingly, we still have surplus reading glasses available,” Oyemade explained.
Pastor Joshua David, who oversees RCCG Province Two in Nasarawo, described the initiative as a demonstration of God’s compassion through practical action. He noted that the large turnout showed the urgent need for accessible eye care.
“This is in line with the vision of our General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, who has always invested in medical interventions across Nigeria. Health and wellbeing are central to our ministry because caring for people is what Christ demands,” David said.
Also speaking, Mr Tamka Tammy, Focal Person for the Presbyopia Programme in Gombe under CHAI, emphasised that the collaboration was strengthening eye health delivery in the state.
He revealed that CHAI had already trained over 231 primary health workers across all 11 LGAs of Gombe. These workers, he said, are now able to conduct eye screening and provide reading glasses to clients aged 40 and above.
“Between December 2024 and now, we have given out over 59,000 reading glasses in the state,” Tammy disclosed, adding that the effort aligns with the Federal Government’s plan to distribute one million free reading glasses nationwide under President Bola Tinubu’s health initiative.
He encouraged residents to take advantage of government and private sector programmes aimed at tackling preventable vision challenges.
