Brain drain: Nigeria risks losing more eye specialists, OSN warns

n n

By Damilola Samuel

n

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.

n

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.

n

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.

n

Patrick-Ferife said the continued migration of ophthalmologists was putting additional pressure on an already inadequate workforce, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

n

She called on the federal, state and local governments to increase the employment of ophthalmologists and other eye-health professionals, stressing the need to create conditions that would encourage skilled workers to remain in Nigeria.

n

Further,. she identified poor distribution of health workers, insecurity and inadequate employment opportunities as factors contributing to the concentration of specialists in major cities.

n

Beyond the workforce challenge, the OSN president said Nigeria was also facing a significant burden of visual impairment, with more than 24 million Nigerians affected.

n

According to her, cataract, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors and diabetic retinopathy remain major causes of blindness and visual impairment in the country.

n

She noted that about 84 per cent of cases of visual impairment and blindness in Nigeria were preventable or treatable, making early detection and access to appropriate treatment crucial.

n

Patrick-Ferife said technology could provide new ways of reaching people who currently have limited access to specialist eye care.

n

She listed artificial intelligence, tele-ophthalmology, digital imaging, electronic medical records and simulation-based training among technologies that could help expand services and improve the quality of care, even as she cautioned that technology should complement rather than replace professional medical expertise.

n

“Technological advancement must not compromise ethics or replace the human expertise required in patient care,” she said.

n

The society also expressed concern about the digital divide, inadequate infrastructure, affordability, data protection and ethical issues surrounding the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

n

To improve planning and decision-making, the OSN called for eye-health data to be integrated into the national District Health Information Software platform.

n

It also advocated the use of solar-powered digital tools at primary healthcare facilities, particularly in areas where unreliable electricity limits the use of digital health technologies.

n

Patrick-Ferife further urged the adoption of tele-ophthalmology to connect patients in underserved communities with specialists and reduce geographical barriers to eye care.

n

She said Nigeria must combine investment in its health workforce with technology and better use of data to address the country’s eye-care challenges and ensure that quality services are available beyond major urban centres.

n n