As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), PPC Limited (formerly Philips Projects Centre), Nigeria’s leading engineering and infrastructure development company with footprints across Nigeria’s healthcare landscape, offered free eye screening and treatment to community members of the Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, on Thursday, December 15, 2022.
The event was held at the central area of Sura market, Lagos Island, in partnership with VisionSpring, an international social enterprise focused on providing eye care to the poor and vulnerable. The community members were provided with free eye tests and given recommended eyeglasses and treatment for various eye ailments.
The CSR programme was one of PPC’s numerous medical intervention initiatives. The event was aimed at raising awareness about the different types of vision impairment, encouraging regular eye screening as well as bringing free eye care services close to the people.
The community members came out in large numbers to enjoy the free eye screening and about 500 eyeglasses that were provided to them free of charge. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 2 billion people live with a vision impairment and of these, at least 1 billion people live with poor vision due to a lack of access to eye care services.
In his welcome remarks, the Managing Director, PPC Limited, Mr Ayo Grillo, described the medical outreach as a means of giving back to the community around where PPC operates beyond the infrastructure development, the company is renowned to provide.
According to him, VisionSpring has built an impressive track record, making it the best fit for the partnership. The MD said, “This is a partnership between PPC and VisionSpring to provide free screening and eyeglasses for about 500 people in the Sura community. This is an initiative that we are very keen on because as an infrastructure company, we not just looking at hardware infrastructure but also talents and how to make them productive. If people have good eyesight, there is a chance to be productive.”
“We operate in various parts of the country and we looking at how we can expand the CSR to cover other regions where PPC operates.”
The Business Development and Partnership Manager, VisionSpring, Mrs Tinuke Adeyinka, emphasized the crucial role the eye plays in the well-being of the body, advising beneficiaries to take proper care of their eyes.
Also speaking, the Medical Officer of Health, Lagos Island East, Dr Onose Inino, encouraged the beneficiaries to make use of the free glasses they have been given, adding that those who did not require glasses would be given referral letters to hospitals in order to receive appropriate treatment.
Also present at the event were Head of PPC Healthcare, Dr Chikara Nwoke; Head of HR, PPC Limited, Mrs Folake Lawal; Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications, PPC Limited, Mr Tolu Koyejo; Optical Technical Advisor at VisionSpring, Dr Friday Oke; Business Development Specialist, VisionSpring, Mr Uchenna Anyanonu; and Supervisor for Health, Lagos Island East, Olabode Babington.
The community leaders and management of VisionSpring expressed their profound appreciation to the management of PPC for sponsoring the free eye screening and treatment event for their community members.