Al Basar International Foundation Providing Free Eye Treatment Service at Alert Hospital

Addis Ababa Al Basar International Foundation launched a volunteer service program to provide free eye check-up and cataract surgery at Alert Hospital.

Some 10, 000 residents are expected to benefit from physical examination of eye treatment and about 400 cases to be operated for cataract starting from March 17, 2023.

Manager of Medical Team of Al Basar International Foundation, Farhruddin Dakhan said the objective of the volunteer to Ethiopia is to provide free eye services to the people suffering of eye blindness.

He added that in the future the organization plans to go out through Ethiopia and look forward to have permanent base in Addis Ababa for sustainable and quality eye care service.

Speaking at the occasion, senior advisor to the Ministry of Health Dr. Daniel Gebremichael on his part said we have been working with Al Basir Foundation for more than two decades and more than half million people benefited because of this foundation.

More than 50 thousand cataract surgeries have been carried out on our patients for free, enabling more than 50 thousand Ethiopians to have recovered from their sight problems..

He explained that this is very important humanitarian activities, in this round, more than 30 thousand patients will be benefited from this mission.

Last week, they were in Jimma and Worabe Hospital where more than 20 thousand patients received medical treatment especially with eye drops., he said.

“In Ethiopia we have around 1.5 million people with low vision; most of them are because of cataract and trachoma. And cataract is actually the leading cause of blindness in Ethiopia and elsewhere in developing countries which can be prevented with simple surgical service,” he said.

According to the advisor, given the number of cataract centers we have and the number of ophthalmology in the country, we have huge backlogs, where we need support from partners like Al Baser and others to support the people in need of recovery from sight problems.

As we have only five tertiary centers for eye surgery, we need support to build hospital in Addis and elsewhere.

Head of the Department of ophthalmology of Alert Hospital, Dr. Solomon Bussa on his part said it is for the third time that this organization is coming and doing cataract surgery and management of ophthalmologic disease.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency