...Demand specialised training, improved welfare, recruitment
Usman also called on federal and state governments to invest in modern diagnostic equipment, recruit more specialised nurses and improve their working conditions to strengthen the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.
He made the call at the 38th Annual National Scientific and Delegates Conference of NONA, held at the Tele-Medicine Hall of the Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The conference, which began on October 18 and is scheduled to end on October 24, 2026, was organised in conjunction with the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
It had the theme, “Our Nurse, Our Future: Empowered Ophthalmic Nurses, Save Lives.”
Speaking at the event, Usman expressed concern that some nurses who had undergone specialised training in ophthalmic nursing were posted to medical-surgical units rather than eye clinics, where their expertise could be put to effective use.
He said the situation deprived healthcare facilities and patients of the benefits of specialised nursing services.
“Some of our ophthalmic nurses, when they qualified after training, instead of them to be posted to eye clinics where they will practice what they learn, some would be sent to another area,” he said.
The national chairman urged relevant authorities to ensure that qualified ophthalmic nurses were deployed to appropriate healthcare units to improve service delivery and patient outcomes.
He also lamented the shortage of essential diagnostic equipment in some hospitals, including federal health institutions.
According to him, optical coherence tomography machines, B-scan equipment and biometry machines are among the tools needed to strengthen eye examinations, diagnosis and treatment.
Usman said inadequate equipment could limit the capacity of trained professionals to deliver effective services, stressing that eye care deserved greater attention from policymakers.
“Eye care should not be looked at as a simple thing; it must be given a priority,” he said.
He added that vision was fundamental to daily activities and professional responsibilities, making investment in eye-care services essential to public health.
Usman further advocated the adoption of digital record-keeping systems to improve the documentation of patients’ medical histories and enable healthcare professionals to monitor their progress throughout treatment.
Earlier, delivering the keynote address, a nurse, midwife and public health specialist, Dr Bankole Mojisola Adelola, called for improved remuneration, adequate staffing and continuous professional development for nurses.
Adelola expressed concern over the heavy workload confronting nurses in some healthcare facilities, noting that some attended to between 20 and 25 patients at a time.
She said the situation could affect the quality of care delivered to patients and called on governments at all levels to recruit more nurses and create opportunities for professional advancement.
“Nurses are our future. Nurses should be well remunerated, they should engage in different trainings, and the government should help us to train our nurses accurately well in all facets of life,” she said.
Adelola also stressed the need to retain experienced nurses in the country, urging governments to improve welfare packages and provide an enabling environment for healthcare professionals.
She commended President Bola Tinubu over the approval of an extension of the retirement age for nurses in federal institutions to 65 years, urging state and local governments to consider similar measures.
“When nurses are well remunerated and well endowed, you will see that they will not run to diaspora again. They will be retained and they will impact adequately well,” she said.
On technology, Adelola said artificial intelligence should be deployed to support nurses rather than replace them.
“Artificial intelligence has come to stay. It is not to take away the work of the nurses, but to help us to fine-tune what we are doing from time to time,” she added.
Fasuyi, while acknowledging the state government’s recent approval of call-duty allowances for ophthalmic nurses, said more interventions were required to improve their professional capacity and the quality of eye-care services.
“Now, we want more. Oliver Twist wants more. We want sponsorship, we need sponsorship. We need nurses to be well encouraged to go to school, and we need nurses to be encouraged to go for ophthalmic nursing,” she said.
She called for full or partial scholarships for nurses seeking specialised training in areas such as glaucoma management, microsurgery, refraction and oculoplastic care.
According to her, developing local expertise in these areas would enable more patients to receive specialised treatment in Nigeria rather than travel abroad to access certain services.
“Instead of flying patients outside, we can actually do it here,” she said.
Fasuyi also urged the government to make dedicated budgetary provisions for ophthalmic nursing to address manpower shortages and equipment gaps.
She said increased investment would strengthen the capacity of nurses to deliver specialised services and improve access to eye care across the state.
Speaking on behalf of the Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, the chairman of the day, Dr Oladeyinde Kayode, said the state government remained committed to improving healthcare workers’ welfare and professional development.
Coker disclosed that the state government had approved call-duty allowances for ophthalmic nurses following years of agitation by the professionals.
She added that Governor Dapo Abiodun had approved the replacement of health workers who leave the service to address manpower shortages worsened by the migration of medical personnel.
According to her, the approval would enable the government to replace departing workers without the usual administrative delays associated with civil service recruitment.
“Ogun State government is committed, in all ways, to ensure the good people of Ogun State have quality health, very easy to achieve without any damage to the pocket,” she said.
She also said the state government’s health insurance programme, which covers civil servants and retirees through government-paid premiums, was designed to improve access to healthcare while reducing financial pressure on beneficiaries.
Coker assured ophthalmic nurses that their professional training needs would receive priority consideration in future programmes, urging them to reciprocate the government’s efforts with dedication to duty.
Also speaking, Nurse Adeniji Olusola, an ophthalmic nurse and chairman of the conference’s Planning Committee, called for the empowerment and wider deployment of specialised nurses to schools and communities to promote early detection of eye conditions and prevent avoidable blindness.
Olusola said the ability to see clearly was essential to education, transportation and other everyday activities, adding that more ophthalmic nurses were needed to identify people with eye problems and facilitate timely treatment.
“When an ophthalmic nurse is empowered, life is saved. What can you do without your eyes, without your sight? Everybody needs their sight, including students and drivers,” she said.
She encouraged ophthalmic nurses to intensify school eye-health programmes and community outreach activities to improve public awareness, promote regular eye examinations and ensure that people with vision problems received appropriate medical attention.
Olusola warned that people with impaired vision who failed to obtain proper eye care could expose themselves and others to risks, particularly when engaging in activities such as driving.
In his remarks, Nurse Bayegun John Folorunsho, the National Coordinator for Nurse Refraction Training in Kaduna, described the conference as an important platform for professional development and the improvement of clinical practice.
He said the annual gathering enabled ophthalmic nurses to update their knowledge, strengthen their skills and keep abreast of developments in specialised eye-care services.
Folorunsho added that the conference provided opportunities for student nurses and aspiring ophthalmic nursing professionals to understand the specialty and explore career advancement prospects.
The participants maintained that improved welfare, adequate staffing, specialised training, appropriate deployment and investment in modern equipment were essential to strengthening eye-care delivery.
They urged governments and healthcare authorities to address the identified gaps, noting that empowering ophthalmic nurses would improve patient outcomes, expand access to specialised services and help prevent avoidable blindness in Nigeria.
