Health Minster Joseph Kasonde has bemoaned the high levels of blindness in the country saying that an estimated 150, 000 people are blind.
Dr. Kasonde said levels of blindness were still very high in Zambia a situation he described as unacceptable considering the fact that about 80 per cent of all blindness are avoidable or reversible.
Speaking during the launch of this year’s World Sight Day Commemorations held in Kitwe yesterday, the Minister reaffirmed government’s commitment to fight blindness.
He observed that the magnitude of the problem of blindness in the country and its effects were devastating socially and economically hence government’s commitment in eliminating blindness among its citizens.
He said government had mobilized resources for programmes towards the elimination of blindness.
The health Minister explained that government had commissioned three state of the art eye facilities in Lusaka, Mongu and Kitwe which he said will enable people access affordable high quality specialist eye care locally.
Dr. Kasonde further reaffirmed government’s commitment to the vision 2020 right to sight initiative which is a global campaign under the World Health Organization.
The campaign is aimed at soliciting support and effort towards elimination of avoidable and reversible blindness world over to which Zambia is a signatory.
The campaign came about as a realization that the number of blind people will double by the year 2020 if sufficient measures are not taken to eliminate blindness.
And Kitwe Central Hospital Senior Medical Superintendent John Mwewa said the high rate of blindness in Zambia needs a lot of intervention to reverse the situation.
Dr. Mwewa observed that restoration of sight through cataract surgery has been one of the most cost-effective health interventions in addressing reversible blindness.
He said that so far a total of 350,000 people have been attended to and that 30, 000 successful cataract operations have been conducted on the patients.
He said the hospital has also opened a retina specialty centre which is the only one in the country.
Dr. Mwewa observed that the Paediatrics Clinic had also grown in the past three years with the number of children being seen increasing from 1000 to 3000 annually under which the number of paediatrics cataract surgeries had increased from 30 to 100 annually.
This year’s World Sight day was commemorated under the theme‘Working together to eliminate blindness’.
ZANIS
These are corrective measures but what of proactive measures sir? What is GRZ doing? Malaria is the only problem for donor funds.
Well done sir. I think Blindness is one of the worst disabilities one can have. I look forward to irrepressibly visually impaired people having the tools to help them lead as normal a life as possible for example computer screen readers, guide dogs and all other accessibilities I see here in the US of A.
Very disappointing that the article does not mention diet as way of preventing eye problems. Good nutrition should be taken seriously in our country, its a pity its not emphasised. These surgeries can be avoided if parents are encourages to feed their child the right food. The foods that we often think are for the poor are the most nutritious, foods like cabbage, chibwabwa, bondwe, chipampila ….all other green leafy vegies and local fruits like mangoes, masuku, pineapples, bananas and nuts like groundnuts
The heading should have read the “The Level Of Blindness Among Kolwestans worries Health Minister.”The Bemba chaps are themselves to blame for having a whooping number in blindness.Kukonda somba..
It is a type of a fly found in Northern Province.
Haha is it true that nsomba brings blindness. Why is it that there a lot of Bemba people who are blind. The same are the only ones scourging the streets of Lusaka begging. And they are breeders big time
Oops! I thought he was speaking about politicians!
Especially babemba.