FleetWatch loves hearing good news stories which show the incredible work being done by companies in our industry which go beyond the scope of their core duties. One such story that has just come to our attention revolves around Imperial Logistics Limited contributing to the establishment of a world-class eye hospital in Abuja. It is doing so through its Worldwide Healthcare business in Nigeria and in partnership with the esteemed Tulsi Chanrai Foundation.
The state-of-the-art facility will provide all ‘super-specialities’ in ophthalmology and will train Nigerian personnel in all aspects of eye care. Outreach camps will also take the hospital’s services to people and communities in need in a 100km radius of Abuja, providing them with free eye care. At full capacity, the new eye hospital will perform 15 000 surgeries annually.
With the prevalence of vision impairment and blindness in Nigeria reportedly among the highest globally, the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation aims to reduce avoidable blindness among the rural poor of Nigeria by providing high quality free eye surgeries, treatment and eye care. Since its inception in 1992, the non-profit foundation has established five eye centres in Nigeria and restored the vision of 110 000 people.
“It is now establishing the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation Eye Hospital in Abuja, a super-speciality eye hospital and training institute that includes the outpatient clinic sponsored by Worldwide Healthcare,” says Sherring Thekekkara, CEO of the Worldwide Healthcare Group.
In the first phase of the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation Eye Hospital’s development, 54 beds will be provided, 40 of which will be free for under privileged patients. Future plans for the facility include increasing its bed capacity to 100 beds and establishing a training programme for all levels of eye care human resources. Primary and secondary eye care centres are also in the pipeline.
In addition to contributing to the outpatient clinic, Worldwide Healthcare is running an in-house campaign where employees can sponsor eye surgeries – with pledges for 100 surgeries already in place.
Experts have stated that if Nigeria’s vision crisis is not prioritised, the number of blind and severely visually impaired adults in the country will increase by more than 40 percent over the next decade.
“As a leader in the distribution and marketing of healthcare products, with deep roots in Nigeria, Worldwide Healthcare’s decision to invest in Nigeria’s fight against blindness was clear-cut,” adds Johan Truter, CEO of Imperial Logistics African Regions.
It is estimated that 4.25 million Nigerian adults aged 40 years and over are visually impaired or blind – an alarming statistic that can now actively addressed by working alongside the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation.
“Such an undertaking bares testament to our commitment to making a real difference in the lives of the communities in which we operate,” says Truter.
