Helen Keller International Launches
Cataract Program in Senegal
En
français
New York, April 28, 2005 – In
collaboration with the Ministry
of Health and the National Blindness
Prevention Program, Helen Keller
International (HKI) launched a
new cataract program last week
in Ziguinchor (Casamance), Senegal.
Cataract is the clouding of the
normally clear lens in the eye
and leads to the progressive decline
of visual acuity and a parallel
decline in the functional and social
activity of the individual.
Cataract develops as a result
of aging, trauma, diabetes, or
heredity, and in 99% of cases,
is linked to the aging of the lens. While
the cause of cataract is unknown,
it can be effectively treated by
surgery.
The goal of HKI’s three-year
program is to reduce cataract blindness
in the Ziguinchor region and to
develop a model for improving cataract
surgery services that can be adopted
by other health regions in Senegal.
Cataract is the number
one cause of blindness worldwide
and accounts for 50% of all blind
adults. An estimated 18
million people are blind from
cataract, and 100 million are
in need of a cataract operation
to restore full sight.
According to the World Bank, one
year of premature blindness is
equivalent to one year of premature
death when measuring the amount
of healthy life lost. Unfortunately,
observations in sub-Saharan Africa
indicate that this underestimates
the real toll of blindness, as
sighted children are almost invariably
removed from school to act as guides
for blind adults. Not only
are the blind adults unable to
participate in the workforce, but
the children who guide them are
also denied the education that
will enable them to make future
contributions to their communities.
Although Senegal boasts a well-developed
health system and a solid pool
of human resources in ophthalmology,
the distribution of these resources
is uneven, with the majority of
ophthalmologists in the capital
of Dakar. In the southern
region of Ziguinchor, with a population
of 538,000, approximately 1,730
people are in need of sight-restoring
cataract surgery – but only
531 people received it in 2002.
Supported by the United States
Agency for International Development
(USAID), HKI’s new program
seeks to increase awareness of
and demand for cataract surgeries,
access to eye health services,
and the ability of the health system
to deliver quality surgeries at
minimal cost.
For Mr. Shawn Baker, HKI Vice
President and Regional Director
for Africa, the program’s
strength is its triangular approach:
reinforcement of the regional health
structure and social and political
mobilization to support the right
to sight of the visually impaired. “Our
approach is intended to support
the Senegalese ministry in establishing
measures to promote eye health
in general and the accessibility
of cataract surgery in particular,” said
Mr. Baker. In line with VISION
2020, a global initiative developed
by the World Health Organization
and other agencies to eliminate
avoidable blindness by the year
2020, the program advocates for
the right to sight and for the
awareness of cataract blindness
as a public health problem.
From left to right:
Mr. Shawn Baker, HKI Vice President
and Regional Director for Africa;
Mr. Gilbert Kadimpeul, newly appointed
cataract surgeon in the first secondary
eye health center in the region;
Mr. Oumar Samba Ba, Deputy Governor
of Ziguinchor; Dr. Boubacar Sarr,
National Coordinator of the National
Blindness Prevention Program; and
Dr. Gaye, ophthamologist in the
Ziguinchor regional hospital.
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