A total of 84 residents within and outside the Wiaga community in the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region have benefitted from free successful cataract surgeries conducted by the Saint Lucas Hospital. A total of 250 clients underwent thorough screening for one month to ensure they were fit for the procedure, which was done in partnership with the Northern Community Eye, an eye facility in Tamale which performs cataract surgeries on outreach basis. The surgical team, led by a Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), was made of Ophthalmic Specialists, Ophthalmic nurses, and other supporting staff of the Hospital. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the exercise, the Acting Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr Bismark Lambon, explained that cataract was a condition in which the lens of the eye became cloudy and led to poor vision, and if left untreated, could lead to blindness. He said the Hospital, which he described as 'infant,' in a bid to extend its services to satisfy the needs of its teeming clients, started eye care services two years ago. 'As part of the clientele base, we realised that there were a lot of people visiting the facility with cataracts and other conditions of the eye that could be operated upon. Mostly, we refer them to the regional capital or to Bawku or facilities in the Region where eye surgeries are done,' he said. Dr Lambon further indicated that some clients declined to honour such referrals, owing to the distance and cost involved and still returned to the Hospital with same conditions. 'So, when we realised that the numbers were building up, a decision was made by management of the facility in collaboration with the staff of the Eye Unit to have cataract surgeries done here in partnership with the Northern Community Eye. That was the genesis of the surgeries,' he said. The Acting Medical Director disclosed that out of the 250 clients screened, 160 had cataract and other eye conditions including pterygium, a conjunctival growth that starts on the clear tissue of the eye and spreads to the cornea. 'Out of the numbers, all 84 clients with mature cataracts had very successful surgeries. There was no single setback. In fact, most of the equipment that was required for the surgeries was brought from Tamale by Northern Community Eye,' he said. Dr Lambon said even though the Hospital was an 'infant' facility, it was ready and would be glad to partner with other organisations to perform procedures that would benefit residents in the Builsa land and beyond. He noted that the present state of the Hospital would be difficult for certain surgical procedures but emphasized that 'If we get support in the area of infrastructure and equipment, Saint Lucas Hospital can do much more,' he added. Some beneficiaries of the surgery who had visited the Hospital for review, expressed gratitude and appreciation to management of the Saint Lucas Hospital for the support and said they had no challenges during and after the surgery.

Source: Ghana News Agency