{
  "id": 5800731,
  "title": "OSN warns Ophthalmologist migration could cost Nigeria $150,000 annually per specialist",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/osn-warns-ophthalmologist-migration-could-cost-nigeria-150-000",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-05T17:11:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Nairametrics",
    "slug": "nairametrics",
    "url": "https://nairametrics.com/2026/09/05/osn-warns-ophthalmologist-migration-could-cost-nigeria-150000-annually-per-specialist/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN) has warned that the migration of just one ophthalmologist could cost the Nigerian economy approximately $150,000 annually, due to existing shortages and uneven distribution of eye-care professionals across the country. At the 51st Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the OSN in Abuja, President Dr Gloria Patrick-Ferife highlighted the compounded challenges of workforce shortages and the significant burden of visual impairment in Nigeria, with over 24 million Nigerians living with some form of visual impairment. Preventable or treatable conditions like cataract, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors, and diabetic retinopathy are among the leading causes of blindness and visual impairment in the country, and the society has called for the integration of eye-health data into the national District Health Information Software and the deployment of solar-powered digital tools to improve service delivery and expand access to specialist care in underserved areas.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}