No fewer than 130 female inmates of Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) Female Custodial Facility, Kirikiri, Lagos, have benefited from a free medical outreach organised by Gift Health-Plus, a non-governmental organisation.
The outreach provided free eye screening, reading glasses, eye drops, prenatal vitamins and personal healthcare items to the inmates, including 10 nursing mothers.
Speaking during the exercise, Dr Chamberlain Nwanne, Founder and Executive Director of the organisation, said personal care items were also provided to correctional officers as part of the intervention.
“For this outreach, we donated hundreds of reading glasses to inmates who need them. Since this is a female facility, we also brought NAFDAC-approved micronutrient prenatal vitamins for onward distribution to the inmates,” he said.
Nwanne said the foundation had visited the facility three times, adding that it carried out similar outreaches in correctional facilities across the country through a standing partnership with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
He said the organisation reached 1,926 inmates nationwide in the previous year, visiting 22 out of the country’s 54 correctional facilities and providing glasses, personal care items and other assistance.
According to him, the intervention was not only about providing material support but also about restoring hope among vulnerable people, particularly inmates awaiting trial.
“Many of these inmates are awaiting trial and have not been convicted of any crime. Being able to give them hope and say, ‘Look, we see you,’ is important,” he said.
Nwanne said the foundation was motivated by the need to support vulnerable people who might lack access to basic necessities, adding that it would continue its outreach based on identified needs and available resources.
Also speaking, Dr Obaje Joseph, an optometrist and consulting doctor at the outreach, said the exercise enabled the team to screen inmates with various eye-related complaints.
He said some inmates reported difficulty seeing small letters, eye pain and other conditions, adding that those who required them received reading glasses and eye drops.
“It was a good exercise. Some of the inmates we attended to reported difficulty seeing small letters, while others complained of eye pain and other eye-related issues,” Joseph said.
Joseph advised the inmates to undergo another eye examination after about two years, use their reading glasses appropriately and avoid activities that could result in eye injuries.
He also urged them to eat healthy foods, particularly leafy vegetables and fruits, read under good illumination and use prescribed eye drops strictly as directed.
Another optometrist, Dr Deborah Uzuka-Uchegbu, said most of the inmates she attended to complained of reading difficulties, which were largely associated with age.
“We are here to share the little we can by providing eye care services and helping them in whatever way we can,” Uzuka-Uchegbu said.
She encouraged the inmates to engage in outdoor activities and maintain good hygiene, adding that some medications provided were meant to manage infections and allergic reactions.
The beneficiaries expressed appreciation for the gesture, with a 17-year-old inmate describing the outreach as impactful, saying that many inmates in need of medical care had not previously had access to it.
Another inmate, 56, said she experienced redness in both eyes after eating groundnut, egwusi and vegetable oil, explaining that she consumed the food because it was the only available option in the kitchen.
