Mon, 16 Oct 2017 06:11:52 +0000
By BENNIE MUNDANDO SAHARA Group says it has offered over 9,000 free eye-screening interventions and 2,500 eye surgeries across West Africa. The group also said it remained resolute to its commitment to helping people with eye problems. Head of corporate communication Bethel Obioma told the Daily Nation that Sahara group had recorded over 350 successful cataract surgeries in Ashanti region in Ghana alone through its #MakeVisionCount campaign. Mr. Obioma said due to a glaring number of people without sight which globally stands at 285 million people according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Sahara group had embarked on an ambitious programme through partnerships with stakeholders. He explained that the group’s initiative was already bearing fruit in West Africa as more people had benefited. “Sahara Group’s intervention programmes lend credence to WHO report that about 80 percent of visual impairment is avoidable, that is, readily treatable and or preventable. In addition, it is also a widely acknowledged fact that restoration of sight and blindness prevention strategies are among the most cost-effective interventions in health care. “With over 9000 free eye screening interventions and 2500 eye surgeries across West Africa, Sahara Group remains resolute in its commitment to stand with the campaign as well as the overall ideals of the World Sight Day movement,” Mr. Obioma said. He said there was need for collaborative efforts in curbing blindness by crafting messages of preventive measures to audiences through awareness. The fact that 90 percent of blind people lived in low-income countries was an indication of the need for global collaboration towards eradicating poverty, he added. “As the world marks World Sight Day, it is important for nations, the private sector and multilateral institutions to renew their commitment to raising public awareness of blindness and vision impairment as major international public health issues. Of the approximately 285 million people worldwide that live with low vision and blindness, 39 million people are blind and 246 million have moderate or severe visual impairment. “These collaborative efforts, among others, must be targeted towards educating target audiences about blindness prevention through elaborate campaigns that should focus more on indigent populations across the globe,” he said. He cited 75-year-old Ghanaian, Vincent Nkegbe, as one of the success stories of the programme. He said Mr. Nkegbe had his sight restored after years of reliance on his 70-year-old best friend, Albert, who served as his guide for over five years. “Albert sells building materials and could only attend to his business after supporting his friend. He typically spent all this time shuttling between his office and attending to his best friend. “Today, Mr. Nkegbe no longer requires guides to move around after the cataract surgery intervention by Sahara Foundation in the Ashanti Region which recorded 350 successful surgeries,” he said. |
