RUND: The five day regional joint campaign on cataract operation that ended at Rundu on Thursday, has successfully operated 214 patients. The campaign known as the ‘eye camp’ was started in 1997 under the leadership of Dr. Helena Ndume and since then it had been an annual event restoring the vision of about 200 cataract patients from both the Caprivi and Kavango region per year.

Speaking during the official ending of the joint champagne, Dr. Helena Ndume, the Head of Opthalmology from the Windhoek Central Hospital said, this year’s ‘eye camp’ was significant and touching because for the first time since it was introduced in 1997, this year’s eye camp was carried out by Namibian Doctors only.

Previously the eye camp used to be conducted by foreign Doctors but this year’s it made use of newly trained local Doctors namely Dr. Sven Obholzer, a Specialist Surgeon and Dr. Katarina Daniel, an Ophthalmic Surgeon both from the Windhoek Central Hospital. According to Dr. Ndume, Namibia can never call itself a progressive nation if it still has cataract patients suffering at home.

She thus thanked the government for creating a conducive environment that ensured that the annual eye camp become an organized event. Dr. Ndume was however disappointed in the government for not recognizing the important role played by ophthalmic medical officers in terms of promotions.

She said ophthalmic Medical officers are frustrated of being stagnated in one position for many years, a situation that results in many abandoning the Ministry to join private companies. “People ran away because they are not being promoted and it is frustrating being stagnated in one position with some of them having been in the same position since 1997,” said Dr. Ndume.

Dr. Ndume thus called on the Kavango regional Health Directorate through its regional Director Elizabeth Muremi to take up the issue of lack of promotion among ophthalmic, as they perform special duties of restoring people’s sights.

Meanwhile, the Kavangio regional acting Governor Frieda Siwombe thanked the regional health Directorate for their tireless efforts in making the eye camp campaign a resounding success.
The acting Governor not that the eye campaign is aimed at combating cataracts among the disadvantaged and under privileged population especially the rural poor such as children and the elderly, who have limited access to quality health care.

“Thank you Dr. Ndume and your team for the gift of sight to the most vulnerable members of the society,” Siwombe thanked. Most of the patients spoken to were conspicuously over the moon for having their sight restored.

Kamina Hakusembe, one of the patient who only has one eye while the remaining one had a cataract removed, could not hide his excitement as he is now able to see the world, interact and perform his normal duties now that he is independent with his sight.

Hakusembe said the restoration of his sight has reclaimed back his dignity and help restore his self-esteem.

The cataract operation which was provided free of charge has for the past five years operated about 4893 patients from both the Caprivi and Kavango region and of that figure, a total of 1393 are from the Kavango region.

The operation was carried out by a joint team of 18 specialists from the Windhoek Central Hospital, Otjiwarongo eye centre and Otjiwarongo Medi-Clinic Hospital, Oshakati Intermediate Hospital, Outapi, Tsumeb, Onadjokwe, Enhana and Katima Mulilo Hospitals.

(edited)RUNDU A total of 214 patients were operated on here over five days as part of a regional cataract-removal campaign that ended on Thursday. The campaign known as the ‘eye camp’ was started in 1997 under the leadership of Dr Helena Ndume, and since then it has restored the vision of about 200 cataract patients from both the Caprivi and Kavango regions each year.

Speaking during the official ending of the joint campaign, Ndume, the Head of Ophthalmology at the Windhoek Central Hospital, said this year’s ‘eye camp’ was significant and ‘touching’ because for the first time since it was introduced in 1997, the ‘eye camp’ was carried out by Namibian doctors only.
The previous eye camps were conducted by foreign doctors, but this year newly trained local doctors – Dr Sven Obholzer, a specialist surgeon, and Dr Katarina Daniel, an ophthalmic surgeon – both from the Windhoek Central Hospital did the operations.

According to Ndume, Namibia can never call itself a progressive nation if it still has cataract patients suffering at home. She thus thanked the government for creating a conducive environment that ensured that the annual ‘eye camp’ become an organised event.

Ndume was, however, disappointed in the government for not recognising the important role played by ophthalmic medical officers. She said ophthalmic medical officers are frustrated at being stagnated in one position for many years, a situation that result in many abandoning the Health Ministry to join private companies.

“People run away because they are not being promoted and it is frustrating being stagnated in one position, with some of them having been in the same position since 1997,” said the eye doctor.
Ndume thus called on the Kavango Regional Health Directorate, through its regional director Elizabeth Muremi, to take up the issue, as ophthalmologists perform special duties of restoring people’s sight.
One her part, acting Kavangio Regional Governor, Frieda Siwombe thanked the regional health directorate for their tireless efforts in making the ‘eye camp’ a resounding success.

Siwombe said the eye-restoration campaign is aimed at combating cataracts among the disadvantaged and under-privileged population, especially the rural poor such as children and the elderly, who have limited access to quality health care.

“Thank you Dr Ndume and your team for the gift of sight to the most vulnerable members of the society,” said Siwombe.

Most of the patients spoken to were conspicuously delighted for having their sight restored.
Kamina Hakusembe, who only has one eye and they eye had a cataract, could not hide his excitement, as he is now able to see the world, interact and perform his normal duties now that he is independent with his sight.

Hakusembe said the restoration of his sight has reclaimed his dignity and help restore his self-esteem.
The cataract operation, which was provided free of charge, has seen about 4 893 patients from both the Caprivi and Kavango regions operated on over the past five. Of these patients, a total of 1 393 are from the Kavango Region.

The operation was carried out by a joint team of 18 specialists from the Windhoek Central Hospital, Otjiwarongo Eye Centre, Otjiwarongo Medi-Clinic Hospital, Oshakati Intermediate Hospital, and the Outapi, Tsumeb, Onadjokwe, Enhana and Katima Mulilo hospitals.