By Damilola Samuel
Nigeria’s shortage of eye-care specialists could worsen as more ophthalmologists leave the country, with the Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN) estimating that the migration of a single specialist could cost the economy about $150,000 annually.
The President of OSN, Dr Gloria Patrick-Ferife, raised the concern in a communiqué issued at the end of the society’s 51st Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference in Abuja.
The three-day conference, themed “Re-imagining Eye Care in the Digital Era,” focused on challenges facing eye-care delivery and how technology and innovation could improve access to specialised services.
Patrick-Ferife said the continued migration of ophthalmologists was putting additional pressure on an already inadequate workforce, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
