Ghana Districts: A repository of all Local Assemblies in Ghana

HEALTH

Akuapem communities benefit from free cataract surgical screening

A free Cataract screening team from Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital led by Dr. Eric Nii Adottey Acquaye, a Senior Optometrist, provided 2 weeks free cataract screening for residents in the Akuapem areas.

Date Created : 8/13/2019 5:01:28 AM : Story Author : Samuel Y. Kumah/Ghanadistricts.com

The exercise took the team across the nooks and crannies of the 3 Akuapem district communities within Akuapem North, South and Okere districts to screen the people for cataract. Findings from the screening would eventually lead to surgical operations for affected people.

Dr. Eric Nii Acquaye, in an interview told the Ghanadistricts.com news team that the cataract surgical camp programme is in collaboration with the Himalayan Cataract project, Ghana Health Services and Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital as the centre for the surgeries.

He submitted that the project is billed to last for a period of 5 years to 2023. He explained that similar exercise was conducted last year and over Six Hundred (600) clients were diagnosed of having cataract and One Hundred and Thirty Five (135) clients had undergone successful surgeries.

Cataract is therefore an eye disease clouding of the natural lens of the eye or a medical condition that causes the lens of the eye to become white so that the affected person slowly lose his/her sight.

At the time of filing this report, Dr. Acquaye informed the News team that so far, Four Hundred clients had been screened from fifteen (15) communities so far and plans had already been put in place to convey affected clients from their respective communities for the surgical operations to begin from 5th to 9th August 2019 immediately after the screening exercise.

Again, the team had visited more than twenty (20) communities so far to screen the people at the various CHIP Compounds located within the communities within the 3 districts. According to Dr. Acquaye, the purpose of the team was designed purposely to screen for only matured cataract for the time being. He explained that plans are far advanced to tackle other eyes diseases at a later sessions.

Meanwhile, the exercise also seeks to identify certain eye problems especially among school children such as glaucoma suspects,refractive errors, myopias, hyperopia, astigmatism and many others would be given prescription glasses to correct their sights.

Again, Mr. Francis Aboagye a team member and a System Coordinator for the Cataract programme at Tetteh Quarshie Hospital was also of the view that the team was not present at the community to screen for only prospective cataract clients but also to offer education.

He said during the visits, they had identified a lot of the people with cornea problems and they were using the platform to offer advice to the people to curtail further damages to their eyes as well as opportunity to tell the people about the importance of visiting the eye clinic frequently to avoid further complications and blindness within the communities.

He also noted that the programme was not meant to be a nine day wonder but it is going to be on a yearly basis. He noted that the programme was not looking at only the number they would get but the quality of the surgery that would be done. He also informed the ISD news desk that the programme would last for 5 years and expected to end in 2023.

Interacting with the beneficiaries, most of them were elated as they claimed the package had come at the opportune time when they were craving for help. They were of the opinion that most of them are from humble backgrounds and could not have afforded the cost of the surgery.

They had shown their appreciations to the Himalayan Cataract group, Ghana Health Services and Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital for the kind gesture. A middle age female farmer could not helped it as she exclaimed that the opportunity was Heavenly and that she had been praying fervently for this all years. “I believe my predicaments of harvesting immature plantains would come to an end after the surgery”. She added.