The Africa Relief and Community Development, a charitable Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in the USA, has presented a cheque for US$12,000 to the Save the Nation Sight Clinic in Accra to perform free cataract operation.
The amount covers the cost of surgical operations for 200 people suffering from cataract, and cannot afford the cost of the surgical operation.
The President of the charitable organisation, Mr Shawki, presented the cheque to Dr Thomas Tontie Baah, an Opthalmologist and Director of the Save the Nation Sight, at a brief ceremony held at the clinic in East Legon, a suburb of Accra.
Cataract is number one cause of curable or treatable blindness, which can be reversed with simple, straight forward surgical procedure.
Dr Baah said thousands of people were “needlessly blind” because they were not getting the needed operations to restore their vision, adding that money paid by the government for cataract surgery under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was “low and disincentive for those who undertake the cataract surgery”.
As at 2022, government paid GH¢350 under the scheme for cataract surgical procedure, which some NHIA-accredited health facilities considered low in view of the cost of the items needed for the procedure, Ghanaian Times checks showed.
“I am not here to begrudge the government and or the National Health Insurance Authority for not paying realistic tariffs for cataract surgery. We all know the problems. The premium for the NHIS is very low. It has probably not been reviewed for a very long time,” Dr Baah added.
“Some NGOs seem to have recognised the problem and are giving assistance in kind or cash to some clinics to do more surgery for the very poor amongst us.
Africa Relief and Community Development is giving a helping hand to Save the Nation Sight Clinic to perform 200 cataract operations for the poor,” he added.
Dr Baah commended the charitable organisation for choosing to collaborate with the Clinic to restore the sight of 200 Ghanaians, saying, “your support is very laudable and commendable.”
“It’s my sincere prayer and hope that others will emulate your example and lend support to facilities that are dedicated to the fight against needless blindness in Ghana,” he added.
Save the Nation Sight Clinic has so far in 2023 performed 71 free cataract operations made up of 38 females and 33 males.
BY SALIFU ABDUL-RAHMAN
