Two Saudi Arabia organizations offer free eye screening, medication and cataract surgery to Ghanaians

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) in partnership with the Albasar Foundation, both Saudi-based organizations has embarked on a Volunteer Medical Campaign to combat blindness in Nsawam in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

The exercise was organized by the two Saudi-based Organizations also in partnership with Bait Africa Organisation, a local non-profit Organization, and the Nsawam Government Hospital.

The medical campaign which was for six days targeted at least 3,000 residents and aimed at providing treatment, medical services, cataract surgery, and medications to eye disease patients.

The residents were screened and diagnosed by a team of specialists from KSRelief and Albasar Foundation with the support of nurses at the Nsawam Government Hospital, for all forms of eye diseases and required eye-lasses were also given freely.

The KSRelief supported the teams with eye specialists, medical consumables, and equipment, while the hospital made available the facility and some nurses to complement the work of the foundation.

Dr. Mohieldin Abdallah Albadawi, the Regional Director of KSRelief said, the foundation has been operating outreach mobile eye screening services across Africa and Asia and has helped to build clinics for needy communities and build the capacities of health institutions, under its programme to fight blindness.

He added that the KSRelief Foundation had set up two eye clinics in Nigeria and Niger to improve eye health care in the countries.

Dr. Albadawi said the foundation had been conducting eye screening and free cataract surgeries in Ghana since 1994, as part of efforts to help in the prevention of blindness in the country.

Saed Al-Bakr, the Charge de Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Embassy in Accra, recounted Saudi-Ghana relations and commended the government for the opportunity to team up with the hospital to fight blindness in Ghana.

The Medical Superintendent, of the Nsawam Government Hospital, Kwabena Awuku, appealed to the foundation to help establish a permanent clinic for the Hospital, adding that though the hospital did not have a resident, Ophthalmologist, they had been collaborating with the Regional hospital to treat eye cases and cataract surgery.

Mr Frank Annor-Dompreh, the Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri and Minority Chief Whip, said the Nsawam Government Hospital was strategically located and served five constituencies in the area, and also made a strong appeal to the foundations to help the hospital establish a permanent eye clinic.

The Chief of Ahodwo, Nana Opare Amankwah II, while commending the foundation urged those diagnosed with eye troubles to strictly adhere to the treatment regimen to preserve their sight.