Orbis Primary Eye Care Worker, Afroza Yasmin, screening for eye conditions and diseases in rural Khulna, Bangladesh.Orbis is an international eye care charity which is leading Qatar Creating Vision initiative.
Doha: The Countess of Wessex has congratulated the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) for screening more than half a million children in India and Bangladesh through its supported eye health initiative - Qatar Creating Vision - in less than three months.
Qatar Fund for Development’s supported eye health initiative - Qatar Creating Vision - has stormed past its first quarter targets by over 20% to provide 585,501 eye tests for children across India and Bangladesh.
The Countess of Wessex commented: “In November 2015 the State of Qatar cemented its commitment to support the mission to eradicate avoidable blindness with the announcement of the “Qatar Creating Vision” initiative. The Qatar Fund for Development’s (QFFD) backing has enabled Orbis and its partners to have significant impact on this mission.”
“I would like to congratulate QFFD, the NGOs and local partners for a very successful start, with more than half a million children screened in less than three months. There is a lot of work still to be done, but there is so much we can already be proud of, the Countess of Wessex adds.
She further stated: “The visit of the new Flying Eye Hospital to Qatar in March 2017 will host workshops and private visits. It will be a great opportunity for medical professionals and businesses alike to find out more about the work involved and align to the vision of QFFD - creating a world where no-one is needlessly blind and where everyone with unavoidable vision loss can live to their full potential.”
The programme, led by international eye care charity Orbis, brings together three charities and 19 hospitals with the aim of providing 5.5 million child eye tests and treatments within the two countries, before 2020, said a press release.
Director General of the Qatar Fund for Development, Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari said: “Qatar has a long standing commitment to driving forward a wide range of initiatives that will strengthen health-care provision both in Qatar and throughout the world. Many people take vision for granted and don’t realize how significant eye problems can be, particularly for children in hard to reach or poor areas.”
Established in November 2015, Qatar Creating Vision is the result of an $8m grant from the Qatar Fund for Development. After an intense period of planning, programmes were launched in July of this year.
Coordinating partner Orbis transforms lives by preventing and treating avoidable blindness throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. The charity’s unique teaching facility, the Flying Eye Hospital, works with hospitals around the world to train doctors and nurses in important eye care techniques and will assist the Qatar Creating Vision initiative.
Their new aircraft, launched this year, features an operating theatre and lecture theatre and will visit Qatar in March 2017. A medical skills workshop, press and private visits will take place during its time.
This initiative has also received the royal seal of approval. Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex - in her role as Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) – first visited Qatar with the Flying Eye Hospital in 2013. Her knowledge, passion and commitment to preventing blindness worldwide captured the hearts and minds of businessmen and dignitaries alike.
In October 2015, The Countess joined Orbis on a follow-up visit, during which she cemented the relationships the charity had been developing with key organisations. On World Sight Day of that year, the Qatar Fund for Development pledged $8m to put Qatar Creating Vision into action and in November, the agreement was made official with a signing ceremony and celebration at Buckingham Palace.
Screenings conducted by Qatar Creating Vision partners have taken place in vision centres, hospitals and schools and over 6000 teachers have been trained in how to spot eye disease in their students. India and Bangladesh are home to approximately 473,000 blind children, with more children struggling with blindness in India than in any other country. Obtaining treatment can very expensive or may be too far away to reach. Shockingly, 60% of blind children will die during their childhood.
