Hundreds of Cameroonians in the West region have been screened for various eye diseases free of charge as part of activities to mark the 2022 edition of World Sight Day and to continue to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Christian Blind Mission Cameroon.
The free eye screening exercise that took place on October 13, 2022 was jointly organized by the Acha Eye Hospital, Bafoussam and the Christian Blind Mission, CBM Cameroon.
From as early as 7am till about 5pm, the staff of the hospital under the supervision of Dr. Faustin Ngounou, Medical Director of the PCC Eye Services attended to the population that came from the different divisions of the region to benefit from the screening.
“I heard about the free screening and decided to use the opportunity to come and check my eyes. Curiously enough they discovered some problems with my right eye and I have been placed on some medication now. I’m so grateful for this initiative” says Berinyuy Godlove one of the many others who turned out for the free screening.
World Sight Day is a global observance set aside to raise awareness, and educate people on visual impairment and blindness.
According to the Country Director of CBM Cameroon, Fon Julius Niba, CBM pledged to contribute 270.000 of the 5 million people targeted by the World Health Organization to be tested for eye diseases during the world Sight Day.
Thanks to the collaboration between the CBM Cameroon and the PCC Eye services, over 2000 consultations were conducted in the different PCC Eye hospitals throughout the country and over 1000 in other hospitals that work with CBM.
CBM @50: The milestones in partnership with PCC Eye Services
The Partnership between CBM Cameroon and the PCC Eye services started some 40 years ago in Acha Tugi, a small village in the North West region of Cameroon.
According to Dr. Faustin Ngounou, Medical Director of the PCC Eye Services, the partnership started at a time when the Eye services did not have the necessary personnel or equipment to take care of the growing needs of the population.
He adds that since then, CBM has been instrumental in providing the necessary financial, material and human resources for to permit the PCC Eye services to render effective and reliable eye services to the population in need.
Fon Julius Niba, Country Director of CBM Cameroon notes that from Acha Tugi, the partnership has been extended to five regions in Cameroon “moving from eye care work, to working on cataract for prevention of reversible blindness, through working on glaucoma and eye injury”.
CBM Cameroon financed the construction of the first sub regional Specialist Ophthalmologist Pediatric Unit for the PCC Eye services in Limbe estimated at FCFA 1 billion.
In the area of personnel development, a good number of PCC Eye services workers have received training in eye related issues thanks to CBM.
“We are indebted to CBM or this expansion of PCC Eye Services and for the steady growth in quality of services that we render to our population. We ca only say thank you to CBM and we can only wish that this partnership be strengthened” observed Dr. Ngonou Faustine.
