SEEPCO & VCDF Bring Free Cataract Surgeries to Delta’s Kwale Central Hospital
By: Abudu Olalekan
Blindness creeps through Nigeria one cloudy lens at a time. Nearly fifty percent of those who can’t see lose it to cataracts, according to fresh data from 2024. Over a million lives dimmed by foggy eyesight stretch across villages and cities alike. Delta State carries its share – more than twenty-five thousand caught in the grip of avoidable darkness.
One day things changed fast – Vcare for Development Foundation linked up with Delta State’s health team. An agreement was sealed, plans rolled out. Into motion came the SPECS initiative, built to fix sight problems where people live. A new surgery space rose inside Central Hospital, Kwale, just for cataracts. Backing this move? The company called SEEPCO said yes without hesitation.
Right off, it’s clear this goes beyond operations. Before the initial surgery even happened, VCDF had already prepped 87 medical staff while running 62 check-up events statewide – seeing more than 2,400 individuals in total.
That day in February – February 26, 2026 – a scalpel touched an eye for the first time in Kwale. From nearby villages in Ndokwa East and West, people sat waiting, then walked out seeing clearer than before. The surgeries happened right inside the local hospital, no travel needed.
Starts with a visit. The VCDF crew heads out, finds people, then moves them to the CSU for care. Eye doctors who are certified handle checkups before surgery – also during – no charge at any step. Healing begins after the operation. They hand out medicine, eye covers, plus appointments later on just to watch progress closely.
Turnout? Massive. Not just kids, but grandparents too – they’re coming in droves for checkups, operations, treatments. Real change shows in their words, no holding back.
High Chief Godwin Ifeanyi Edema of Utagwa Ogbe Kingdom speaks on local matters
“VCDF has brought specialized eye care directly to our people. The impact is immediate and life changing.”
From the very beginning, Emeke Odigili was among those who took part, then said:
“I had almost lost hope of seeing clearly again. Today, I had free cataract surgery. I am grateful to VCDF.”
From the SPECS-CSU group, eye doctor Dr. Ernest Ogbedo spoke next
“Cataract remains one of the leading causes of avoidable blindness, and timely surgery can completely restore vision. To date, the team has conducted 113 successful surgeries in Delta State.”
Philip Ukemezia Programme Manager at VCDF
“Today marks a major milestone for VCDF as we restore sight and dignity to residents. We’ve already screened over 11,800 people and done more than 1,070 cataract and pterygium surgeries across Akwa Ibom and Delta. And we’re just getting started – we plan to expand to more LGAs and states soon.”
Truth is, VCDF’s effort in Delta goes beyond statistics. Lives change when vision returns – suddenly there’s autonomy, a future. Because SEEPCO stands behind these efforts, treatment reaches more hands, slowly building clarity where there was none.
