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Operate cataract for poor blind patient. Photo T.H |
2,290 cases have been offered the cataract operation in Binh Dinh so far. Good facilities, high qualifications and management are factors improving the quality of the blindness prevention program. These are achievements gained after three years since Binh Dinh Eye Hospital implemented the Fred Hollows Foundations-sponsored project on capacity building for blindness prevention and community-based eye care.
Light for the poor
In late April, 2006, Binh Dinh Eye Center (Binh Dinh Eye Hospital now) opened a free operation ward for poor blind people, aiming at helping them benefit from advanced technologies in the eye operation.
Four years ago, 71-year-old Le Thi Hao in Phuoc Thuan commune of Tuy Phuoc district had two opaque eyes. At first, she still could do some trivial things, but then her eyes became completely blind. Her family is too poor to afford an eye operation. “Knowing there is a free operation ward, I came to the hospital at once,” she said.
There have been many poor people who were blind offered free eye operation. “Binh Dinh has the high rate of blind people. But we couldn’t afford the operation for all without sponsorship,” said Doctor Nguyen Thanh Triet, director of Binh Dinh Eye Hospital.
The hospital also provided the free cataract operation for poor blind people in some districts, bringing light to 3,774 poor people. Also, more than 65,000 students were tested during the past three year.
Capacity building
The project aimed at capacity building for blindness prevention and community-based eye care. Before implementing the project, we had only 8 doctors and 30 hospital beds, but there are now 60 beds and 12 highly qualified doctors, according to Triet.
The hospital was aided to upgrade the infrastructure. Also, the project provided many medical facilities for eye care services of all levels.
The training courses and facilities were provided in four districts of An Nhon, Tuy Phuoc, Phu Cat, and Phu My, helping improve the qualifications at grassroots level. As a result, the cataract operation and artificial crystalline lens replacement can be carried out in three districts.
Continue the 2009-2012 period
At the seminar on full-term review of the project held in Quy Nhon, Doctor Huynh Tan Phuc, head of FHF project representative office in Vietnam, said that Binh Dinh was highly appreciated among three provinces (including Quang Tri and Phu Yen) where the project was implemented. In Binh Dinh, there were more community-based eye care activities. The number of cases offered eye operation was very high, but the rate of blind people was also very high.
Statistics showed that the rate of blind people who are 50 and over in Binh Dinh was 5.76% and the cataract is the main reason.
FHF will continue to sponsor Binh Dinh to implement eye care activities and blindness prevention in the 2009-2012 period, said Phuc. Accordingly, there will be two more districts aided in the next period.
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