US-Based Medical Charity Teams Up with Ghanaian Health Professionals to Provide Free Cataract Surgery
A US-based medical charity group has partnered with Ghanaian health professionals to perform free cataract surgery on 500 people at the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua. Beneficiaries of all ages from towns and villages such as Koforidua, Suhum, Nkawkaw, Aburi, Akropong, Bawjiase, and Somanya underwent the surgery.
The Himalayan Cataract Project, a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in the US, conducted free eye-screening exercises for about 2,000 people and diagnosed those with defects, including those who underwent surgery.
The Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service (GHS), and other partners collaborated with the NGO, which sent a team of doctors and technicians to assist the medical staff of the Eastern Regional Hospital with the surgery.
The team of doctors came from various hospitals, including Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, St Dominic Hospital in Akwatia, and Tilgauya Institute of Ophthalmology in Nepal.
The NGO’s Country Representative in Ghana, Dr. James Amoo Addy, reported that all screened patients who were diagnosed with defects, along with those who underwent surgery, received free medication, and some received reading glasses. However, since the five-day period allocated for surgery was not enough to cover all patients, the team plans to return to the country on a later date to continue the exercise.
Dr. Addy explained that research conducted in Ghana in 2015 showed that 200,000 (0.74%) of the country’s total population were blind, and most of them suffered from cataract. He emphasized that money should not be a hindrance to one’s eyesight and thanked the government and the Ministry of Health for their support. Dr. Addy also called for more collaborations in the future.
The beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to the organizers of the surgery. A beneficiary from Bawjiase, Grace Goku, who learned about the exercise from a friend, expressed her appreciation and urged the government to support such initiatives.
Mama Sheitu Sampana from Koforidua was highly elated and blessed the organizers for their efforts, as she did not pay anything for the surgery and medication. Abdul Rauf Yusuf, another beneficiary, reported that he did not feel any pain during the surgery and initially worried that his eyes would be fractured by the surgical instruments.
In conclusion, the US-based medical charity group’s initiative to provide free cataract surgery to those in need in collaboration with Ghanaian health professionals is a commendable effort to improve healthcare in the region.