Chinese Doctors Bring Brightness Back To Botswana Cataract Patients

A doctor checks the eyes of a patient in Botswana [Photo: Xinhua]

A team of Chinese ophthalmologists in Botswana will provide 500 free cataract removal operations this month, as part of this year's "Brightness Action" campaign.

Botswana performers sing a local song to celebrate that group of cataract patients can see clearly after the gauze on their eyes was removed on Thursday.

"Two years ago, I cannot see very clearly. Yesterday, they did the operation, after the operation, they take this (the gauze) out, I can see clearly now. Clearly."

CRI News report continues:

Due to cataracts, 62-year-old Fith Malebe was half-blind. Now she has full sight. Fith is one of those who recently received free operations by Chinese doctors in the Brightness Action Campaign launched by the Chinese government in the Scottish Livingston Hospital in Melopolole, Botswana's biggest village.

Eleven ophthalmologists from China are providing surgeries for local patients from June 17th.

They are going to carry out around 500 cases of free cataract operations and help them see the world again.

Hao Yansheng, a professor from Peking University Third Hospital, says doing surgeries in Botswana is more of a challenge than in China.

"Most of cataract patients here are with hypermature cataracts. They have missed the best time to cure them; some patients would have become permanently blind if they didn't have immediate operations. In addition, Botswana has the second-highest HIV rate in the world, so we are taking the potential risk of contracting HIV while doing operations and the top priority is taking care of ourselves."

According to Professor Hao, over 350 operations have been completed so far. The team also provides training to the local doctors on how to conduct the operations.

For Zhang Xiaoxia, a nurse from Fujian Provincial Hospital, this is her second time to take part in the campaign.

"Many local patients don't speak English but rather their own language, so we learned many necessary words of their languages like 'open or close your eyes' and 'don't move'. At first, it was hard to cooperate with local nurses because of the different working style, but now it's getting better."

Besides the campaign, the Chinese government also donates medical equipment, devices, drugs and consumables, worth of more than 1 million US dollars to Botswana.

Alfred Madigele, Assistant Minister of Health in Bostwana described the campaign.

"This campaign comes at a time when we are experiencing a high cataract backlog in our country, and this will in no doubt take us closer to the reduction of preventable blindness."

Zheng Zhuqiang, Chinese Ambassador to Botswana, believes that the campaign definitely benefits hundreds of Botswana people and pushes bilateral relations to a higher level.

"The Chinese government expects to bring brightness back to more Botswana cataracts patients, to push forward the development of public health in Botswana, and to demonstrate the goodwill and love of Chinese people for Botswana people."

In Botswana, statistics show that the prevalence of blindness is 5.4% among people aged 50 years and above, and there are about 4,000 cataract patients waiting to do operations.

In 2011, the first Brightness Action Campaign in Botswana provided more than 200 operations.