Chitipa District Council Director of Health and Social Services, Dr Mwatikonda Mbendera has welcomed a five-year Canadian-funded project by Operation EyeSight, saying the project is going to assist the district to prevent and treat eye problems.
Dr Mbendera was speaking during a District Executive Committee (DEC) meeting held at Chitipa District Council chamber where Operation EyeSight were introducing the project.
He said the council was optimistic that the Operation EyeSight project will help enhance eye care in the district.
“Eye care is one of the critical areas in the health sector but it lacks projects from organisations. We are happy today that Operation EyeSight has come with a project to deal with eye care,” he said.
Operation EyeSight Project Manager, Blessings Banda said the project, among others, is aimed at reducing blindness prevalence rate, integrating eye care into primary health care systems and establishing an eye care centre in the district.
“Among other activities, we are going to send some health personnel to India and others to Mzuzu University to be trained in eye care. We are also going to buy state of the art eye equipment at Chitipa District Hospital,” he said.
Banda said while district health personnel are being trained, eye patients will be referred to Mzuzu central hospital for a period of six months before the district hospital eye unit starts treating the patients.
“We are also going to train and engage health surveillance assistants and health volunteers to do door to door eye screening,” he said.
Banda then added that through the project, communities will be sensitised on how best can they prevent blindness.
He said that his organisation will fund the project and the district hospital under the district council will implement all the project activities.
The Project will also be implemented in Karonga and Mzimba districts.
