Submitted by Al-Imdaad Foundation

As the Al-Imdaad Foundation continues to run their Vision-4-Life cataract programme, they welcomed the arrival of international volunteer ophthalmologists and medical technicians from Karachi over the course of February.
The first of two cataract surgery camps was conducted at Rietvlei Hospital and the second camp is now underway at Umphumulo Hospital.

These camps are part of the Al-Imdaad Foundation’s Vision-4-Life eye care initiative, which, last year, provided over 500 cataract surgeries for people who could not afford it.

The partnership between Al-Imdaad, the KZN Department of Health and the volunteer surgeons is ensuring that many more people are assisted with improving their vision through surgery.

READ MORE: Vision-4-Life project gives hope to thousands

“The aim is to complete as many cataract surgeries as possible during the two scheduled camps, with the intention of combating the current backlog at both facilities. We have completed our first camp at Rietvlei with 400 surgeries. By Monday afternoon, we should complete 100 surgeries on day one of the second camp in Umphumulo,” said Al-Imdaad Foundation Vision-4-Life project co-ordinator Mr Abed Karrim. “We are grateful to these volunteers for their efforts.”

The delegation of doctors and medical technicians met with hospital authorities for briefing sessions at Rietvlei Hospital and Umphumulo Hospital upon their arrival at these facilities.

“We are thankful for the opportunity to help with the backlogs of cataract patients in South Africa… and in this case in KwaZulu-Natal,” said Mr Fakhruddin Dakhan, team manager for the international volunteers.

Al-Imdaad Foundation chairperson Moulana Chohan thanked the Department of Health and the foreign volunteers for their assistance and co-operation in making the camps a possibility. He said they were pleased to have been able to assist with the current backlogs of patients awaiting surgeries at public facilities.

NOW READ: Al-Imdaad Foundation along with Turkish volunteers show support

Click to receive news links via WhatsApp. Or for the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter