Saudi Arabia has expanded its eye care outreach to Gbagada General Hospital, a reputable Lagos State owned company.
The kingdom recently revealed that the decision reiterates its commitment to offering vital healthcare services to underserved communities across the globe.
Speaking via a press statement by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Embassy Press Attaché in Nigeria, Mohammed Alsahabi, Saudi Arabia revealed that the extension represents a major step in the Kingdom’s ongoing support for preventive eye care in Nigeria.
Mohammed revealed that the Lagos phase of the programme will deliver key ophthalmologic services to Lagos State, and Lagosians at Gbagada General Hospital will benefit from essential eye care services like diagnostic eye screenings, cataract surgeries with intraocular lens (IOL) implants, correction of refractive errors, and the distribution of prescription eyeglasses.
According to him, the initiative is executed under the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and it further proves KSrelief’s readiness to keep offering relief to communities battling systemic healthcare problems.
“In a continuation of its global mission to provide critical healthcare services to underserved communities, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has extended its “Saudi Noor” ophthalmic volunteer programme to Lagos State’s Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos, from May 20th to 27th, 2025,” it read.
Mohammed disclosed that ever since its blindness prevention campaign was launched in Nigeria around 2019, KSrelief has carried out more than 218,000 eye examinations, and over 21,000 patients have regained their sight via surgical interventions. He said that 45,000 eyeglasses have also been distributed to restore hope to beneficiaries across several Nigerian states.
He maintained that KSrelief’s healthcare effort in Lagos State is a timely recognition of the urban-rural healthcare gap that needs to be addressed, and this has led to the establishment of the programme in other Nigerian states like Yobe, Kano, and Bauchi.
He vowed that KSrelief will continue to commit to humanitarian excellence, stating that since it was established a decade ago, the Centre has executed more than 3,400 relief projects in over 107 nations, including Sudan, Yemen, Bangladesh, and Mauritania, where its blindness prevention initiatives are currently operating.
Mohammed concluded by saying that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has renewed its relationship with Nigeria with its latest effort in Lagos, and the aim of the partnership will always be to prevent all kinds of blindness that can be avoided.
