Vodafone is providing funds for the project, which is being organised by Sight Savers as part of the World Sight Day celebrations.

Qualified healthcare professionals from the GHS have set up 80 screening centres to offer free screening and surgery to patients suffering from cataract and trachoma, two major causes of blindness in Ghana.

According to the Head of Corporate Communications at Vodafone, Mrs Carmen Bruce-Annan, the association of Vodafone Ghana with the initiative reaffirmed its commitment to the well being of Ghanaians, especially the economically disadvantaged who had little or no access to quality health care.

Announcing Vodafone's collaboration with Sight Savers and the GHS in Accra on Wednesday, Mrs Bruce-Annan said Vodafone was delighted to be partnering Sight Savers and the GHS to give the “gift of sight” to 2,500 visually impaired Ghanaians, adding, “We are passionate about the health of the people in our communities, especially the less privileged sections in society.”

Mrs Bruce-Annan said eyesight was something that was usually taken for granted and yet it was well-known that cataract was the leading cause of blindness in the country.

“We believe every Ghanaian deserves good health and we are committed to making the right partnerships to fulfill our promise of empowering Ghanaians to take control of their health and lead more fulfilled lives,” she said.

For her part, the Country Director of Sight Savers Ghana, Madam Joyce Ashun, said to be able to reduce the high rate of blindness in the country required the collective effort and responsibility of the people in the country.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) information on blindness indicates that cataract is the leading cause of blindness globally, accounting for between 40 and 50 per cent of all blindness.

In Ghana, the major causes of blindness are cataract refractive errors which account for 50 per cent of sight impairment; trachoma, 15 per cent; Glaucoma, 15 per cent; cornel scares, five per cent, and other causes, 15 per cent.

The screening and treatment sessions are scheduled to run till the end of November this year under the supervision of Sight Savers.



Story by Ghana/Daily Graphic