By Patrick Obia
The Calabar Canaan City Lions Club, a service organisation on Wednesday in Calabar, witnessed the first eye surgery performed at an eye theater complex it donated in 2019 to the Cross River State Government.
The complex is located at the General Hospital Calabar and is managed by the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation (TCF).
The club’s president, Lion Nnaemeka Ahaeri, told journalists after the surgery performed on Mrs. Elizabeth Nwodu, that the donation was in line with its activities in areas including sight, pediatric cancer, environment, hunger and diabetes.
“In 2019, as part of our service project we took up a project to build an eye theater for the General Hospital. The project was fully completed by members of Calabar Canaan City and donated to Cross River Government,” he said.
Emeka who said the facility is “mainly for eyes,” also expressed optimism that, “everyone that has any eye defect can do the eye surgery here. So, I think the target is to get as many numbers as possible. There is no limited number and it is solely free of charge for those who the Foundation will be taking care of. We in Calabar Canaan City are proud that we have done this kind of project and really serving humanity which is the key of what we are professing in Lions Club.”
The facility, according to the Calabar chapter president, Lion Idim Ikpeme cost over NGN50 million. The club said it is also building an E-library to be donated to the state.
Mr. Richard Sylvester, the project manager of the TCF on his part said his organisation has performed over 48,000 free eye surgeries since 2004 when they began operating in the state.
He urged the public to to access the facility which is cost free with the club secretary, Lion Okpata Felicitas explaining that there is an existing Memorandum of Understanding between the TCF and the hospital’s management for sustainability.
The Lions Club was established over 100 years ago and has its headquarters in the United States.
NB: 22:52 27/08/2020: The lede and second lede paragraphs have been edited to capture properly, the activity of Wednesday, August 26, 2020. An earlier version of the story said the donation occurred in the aforementioned date. Also, “40” was replaced with “100” in the last paragraph.
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