Vision of 43 in Penampang restored
Published on: Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Of the 43 patients identified from eight villages in the Penampang district, 14 have been successfully operated on by eye surgeons at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 (QEH1) with complete restoration of vision.President of the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu (RCKK), Jeyan Marimuttu said the villages are Kg Moyog where the first eye screening camp was held in April this year, followed by Kg Kipouvo, Kg Kolopis, Kg Tuavon, Penampang Proper, Kg Ramayah, Kg Sugud and Kg Maang."This exercise is an integral part of the Cure Cataract Campaign (also known as '3C' Project), a new initiative undertaken by the Club this year in living up to its well-known motto – 'Service Above Self'.
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"We (RCKK) are very grateful to the QEH1 Ophthalmology Department and doctors (including Head of Opthalmic Services Sabah, Dr Shuaibah Abdul Ghani) for having made this '3C' Project a reality. This collaboration has helped to bring back light into many lives that had lost the gift of sight due to cataract," he said while expressing the hope that the Club will bring the benefits of modern eye surgery to many more rural underprivileged citizens. Earlier, the Club had outlined the plan of its '3C' Project to State Health Director Dr Christina Rundi, and obtained the department's approval. A briefing was also given to Penampang District Officer, Luvita Koisun and to all the Village Chiefs and Village Development & Security Committees (JKKKs) Chairmen on the objectives and plan of project implementation.According to Marimuttu, eye screening camps are held typically over weekends where Club members provide logistic support such as transport and refreshments, while the trained Cataract Finder volunteers undertake the task of examining the patients. "Patients with cataract are then referred to the QEH1 Eye Department for further detailed examination and appointment for surgery," he said.RCKK has a long record of service to the visually challenged from its early years, when it founded the North Borneo Blind Society in 1960 and the Wallace Training Centre for the Blind the same year. Since 2007, the Club has organised eye camps in collaboration with the QEH Ophthalmology Department.
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The President said in response to the results of the National Eye Survey 2014 undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Health, the Club sharpened its focus on cataract which is the principal cause of blindness and poor vision in Malaysia and specifically in Sabah. Based on the guidelines established by the Ministry of Health, the Club launched the '3C' Project with the following objectives:
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- Undertake a rural campaign in the districts of the West Coast and Interior Division of Sabah to reach out to the neediest sections of the population- Train volunteers from paramedical and nursing personnel as Cataract Finders, as envisaged in the plan of the Ministry of Health called Klinik Katarak 1 Malaysia (KK1M)- Identify patients with less than 6/60 vision in one or both eyes and suffering from cataract and encourage them to undergo surgery for restoring their visionStay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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