Over 2000 residents of Krachi West Get Free Eye Tests, Cataract Screening

Not less than 2000 people in Krachi West, last week benefited from the free eye test, cataract screening and distribution of glasses organized by the Member of Parliament for the area, Hon Helen Adjoa Ntoso, in conjunction with Liftimewells Vision and Friends Eye Centre in the Oti Region, as part of efforts to reduce the incidence of avoidable blindness in the area.

The eye screening, according to the MP was born out of the need to improve the health conditions of the people and based on the understanding that many people do not take good care of their eyes despite the importance of the eyes to the life of every individual as the light to the world.

She added that the exercise was to support and put smiles on the faces of the residents by helping them not only with the screening but also with treatment and distribution of free glasses in furtherance of her effort to fulfill her social contract with the people in the health sector towards producing a community filled with healthy people.

Hon Helen Ntoso who is the Ranking of Gender and Children Committee of Parliament noted that the free eye screening was to augment the efforts in addressing the eye challenges of vulnerable residents of the Constituency.

***Hon Helen Ntoso, inspecting eye screening***

The program took place in seven designated communities including the Islands communities across the entire constituency.

Some of the beneficiaries communities were Bommoden,Ntawusae, keta krachi,, Ehiamankyene, Osraman, Chantai,Nkyenekyene, Monkra and Kadentwe.

Services rendered included free eyes screening, free eye treatment, free issuance of glasses and cataract surgery which has been slated to take place soon in the Krachi West District Hospital.

At the close of the five days exercises, 1,388 different types of eyedrops were dispensed, 238 medicated eyeglasses were supplied for free and 233 people were booked for the surgery.

***Residents undergoing eye screening***

Hon Ntoso told EXPRESSNEWSGHANA, in Parliament on Friday, March 18, the program would be periodically organized as part of her commitment to alleviating the suffering of the downtrodden by enabling them to have access to high level eye care.

She said it is her vision of taking health care delivery to the doorstep of her constituents who are predominantly peasant farmers.

Similar exercises have been carried out last year but assured that there would be another leg of the free eye treatment in which other cases that are more complex would be assisted with surgery and other treatments.

The MP affirmed that many residents of the constituency have sight challenges and could not afford the financial wherewithal to address the challenge, hence her partnership with Lifetimewells Vision and Friends of the Eye Centres to address the challenges of residents.

“Many of our old people have issues with their sight and do not know what to do about it. Even young people who have health challenges don’t sometimes know how to manage it and without good health, you cannot manage anything well. It has been discovered that health is a major need of the people and that is why I am doing this. I think it is important that I bring improvement to the people in different ways, it is important that I should support my people and provide support in various forms for those who are in need of support, that is why I took this up.

“There are a lot of people who have different eye challenges and some are already losing their sight and as their MP, I felt that this is something that I can do to support the people. That is why I decided to partner with LifetimeWells Vision and Friends of the Eye Centre to provide free eye tests for people to check the status of their eyes and treat whatever ailment they have; We provided eyeglasses to those that need them and supported cataract surgery for those that require such after the screening, all at no cost to them. This is one of the things that I can facilitate as MP, to provide good healthcare for the people,” Hon. Helen Ntoso said.

Hon Ntoso asserted that she is not too surprised about the number of cases discovered because history has it that the people of Krachi West once suffered from onchocerciasis due to the Volta basin which forced the then government to spray the atmosphere using a helicopter.