Africa-Press – Namibia. KATIMA MULILO – About 500 cataract-blind patients from the Zambezi and Kavango East regions will have their sight restored in the 2026 Cataract surgical campaign.
The surgical campaign, which started on Friday, was officially launched by Zambezi regional governor Dorothy Kabula.
Ophthalmic doctor Helena Ndume said the campaign has been a success over the years, and government should be applauded for taking care of its citizens.
“On the first day, we operated on 99 patients. Yesterday (Sunday), we operated on 101 patients. Today (Monday), we will see how far we are going to go – but in total, we are aiming to do 500 patients from the Kavango East and Zambezi regions,” stated Ndume.
In her remarks, Kabula pointed out that a cataract is not just a cloudy vision but “a thief that steals the quality life of our communities, mostly the elderly of our society. The disease deprives them of an opportunity to read, walk safely or recognise faces of their loved ones”.
She stated that the Zambezi region has a backlog of cataract patients that need to undertake similar surgery.
“I am reliably informed that we still have 334 patients within our communities who have been diagnosed with cataracts, and 150 of them qualify for the same surgery. I urge all carers and family members to make sure that all patients suffering from cataracts are registered with the Ministry of Health and Social Services eye clinic on time for the patients to benefit from the treatment,” appealed Kabula.
The campaign, which started last Friday, and will conclude this Friday, is being carried out jointly with local surgical teams and international volunteers from Germany and America.
*Aron Mushaukwa is an information officer at MICT Zambezi.
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