It has been more than two years in planning and preparation, but finally it has arrived… A three-month-long cataract surgery programme brought about by a partnership between the Al-Imdaad Foundation, the KZN Department of Health, Air Mercy Services and volunteer doctors from Turkish NGO Alliance of International Doctors (AID). The cataract programme is part of the Al-Imdaad Foundation’s Vision-4-Life eye care initiative, which also includes a free eye clinic which has seen over 2000 patients in two years of operation.
On Monday, October 7, the volunteer doctors were flown by Air Mercy personnel to Ladysmith Airfield to attend the cataract programme briefing session at Ladysmith Provincial Hospital.
At the briefing, Al-Imdaad Foundation special projects co-ordinator Mr Abed Karrim described the build-up to the programme, saying, “For two and a half years, my team and I have been in and out of Pretoria to secure accreditation for the foreign doctors from the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA). We’ve had a lot of co-operation from health departments at all levels and finally the team is able to be here today.”
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Mr Karrim went on to say that their mission was simple: “We are here to join hands to enable Vision-4-Life. This is the vision of the leadership of the Al Imdaad Foundation, chairman Maulana Chohan and our trustees.
They have told us to go out there, work hand-in-hand with the Department of Health and work hand-in-hand for the community.” Areas have been identified where there are significant backlogs of patients awaiting cataract surgeries. Public eye facilities at hospitals in Northern Natal will be used for the programme, and local support staff and nurses will assist the Turkish team. Dr T Zulu, an official from uThukela District Health, described how the volunteer doctors would be greatly appreciated, as some districts had significant backlogs due to a lack of personnel.
Dr Zulu also said, “Completing backlogs is not just about numbers. It is a quality of-life issue and a human rights issue. If there is a 2000 backlog, you know how you would feel if there’s a cataract and there are no operations until you are blind. So we are very happy that we finally have these volunteers to assist us.”
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