US$1.2 Million Eye Care Health Services Underway In North Western Zambia

By Innocent Daka
Orbis Africa, a worldwide sight saving charity organization, has sourced US$1 million to extend its eye care health services to districts in the North Western Province.

This came to light on January 15, 2013 when a three member team from Orbis Africa paid a courtesy call on North Western Province Permanent secretary Augustine Seyuba.

The organization Senior Programme Manager Reshma Dabideen disclosed that Orbis Africa last year started discussions with the provincial health office in Solwezi.

Ms Dabideen said the discussions were successful and have resulted into Orbis Africa sourcing US$1 million to extend community based eye care services to districts in North Western province.


She said the five year-programme will in total cost  US$ 1.2 million, with Orbis Africa contributing US$200,000 towards a comprehensive eye care health services aimed at treating cataracts, eliminating trachoma and distributing spectacles in the province.

She also said that under the programme, Orbis intends to train health care staff and provide services closer to the community to avoid patients travelling long distances for surgery and accessing spectacles.

Ms Dabideen said Orbis believes in doing a few projects in order to ensure sustainability and success that has impact on the target communities, adding that two districts where the programme will be implemented will be identified in North Western Province.

And Mr Seyuba has thanked Orbis Africa for recognizing the need to implement a comprehensive eye care programme aimed at eliminating trachoma and treating cataracts in the North Western province.

The PS said the need for eye care is extremely important for people, saying the whole province has no single eye specialist at the moment and people access services from a specialist based in Kitwe on the Copperbelt.

 He urged Orbis to ensure that it assist the province to train more eye care specialists during its five year programme.

He also wished that Orbis undertakes sensitisation activities aimed at changing people’s perceptions in utilizing eye care services in order to address the problem of low uptake of such services.

Ms Dabideen promised that her organization has a tradition of ensuring community ownership of all the projects it undertakes as this is the only way to ensure there is sustainability when the programme comes to an end.

She said the programme will also work and provide training to health workers within the existing government health structure.
ENDS/IMD/ZANIS

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