Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 12, 2014 News
In observance of World Sight Day (WSD), the Ministry of Health, Caribbean Council of
Blind-Eye Care Guyana and Department of Ophthalmology, will be hosting Ophthalmic Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions in various parts of the country.
World Sight Day (WSD) is an international day of awareness, and the focal Advocacy and Public Relations occasion for highlighting the fact that 80% of blindness is avoidable (i.e. preventable and/or treatable) .
According to research statistics, four out of five people have avoidable visual impairment. World Sight Day provides a platform for organisations to encourage governments, corporations, institutions and individuals to actively support global blindness prevention efforts.
World Sight Day is held annually on the second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. This year, WSD, which is co-ordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), was observed on October 9.
To mark the observance locally, the Ministry Of Health held the first Ophthalmic CME Session at the Herdmanston Lodge, Georgetown, on Thursday last. And two other sessions are scheduled for New Amsterdam (Today at Little Rock Hotel Suite at 8:00am) and Linden (Egbert Benjamin Exhibition Centre, next Saturday October 18th at 1:00pm).
During the CME Sessions there will be presentations by Eye Care Professionals about various sorts of eye-related conditions. Some of the sessions will be concentrated on Diabetic Retinopathy since Non-Communicable Diseases have become a major focus of the Ministry in recent years.
Minister of Health, Dr. Bheri Ramsaran noted the programme has been quite successful. He said that the Ministry has made notable strides in terms of crafting strategic partnerships which has created opportunities for more trained specialists in the field of eye care.
“Through our partnership with Eye Care Guyana, the Ministry was able to have more specialists trained in the field through various scholarship programmes offered,” Minister Ramsaran explained.
“Eye Care Guyana has been instrumental in the training of a significant number of optometrists and other eye care specialists. In fact the programme at the University of Guyana has been attracting quite a few students from the Caribbean,”
As a result, he noted that “there are already certain new eye care instruments and specialised doctors to be dispatched to be hospitals at Suddie and Linden.
World Sight Day is supported by over 120 worldwide member organisations, which include every major eye care NGO in the world, apex professional bodies for ophthalmology and optometry, teaching hospitals and corporations, united in working to eliminate avoidable blindness and visual impairment.
This year, the World Health Organization,(WHO) Global Action Plan (GAP) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) encourage members and partners to continue with the rolling theme for universal eye health ‘call to action’ – ‘No More Avoidable Blindness’.
The call to action will draw attention to a few key interventions that are crucial for the success of GAP’s target – reducing avoidable blindness by 25%, by 2019.
The purpose of the action plan is to achieve this goal by improving access to comprehensive eye care services that are integrated into health systems.
The WHO’s goal is “ensuring that all people have access to needed, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health services, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that people do not suffer financial hardship when paying for these services”
This means all people should enjoy access to the best quality health care without risk of impoverishment.
To meet the action plan’s objectives, the Health Ministry is working to implement an active and effective Eye Health (or Vision 20/20) national committee country- wide.
The MOH and the GPHC (along with international NGOs such as World Diabetic Foundation, Orbis and University of Toronto) are developing a plan to extend a Guyana Diabetic Retinopathy Screening and Treatment programme. During the session, the Guyana Eye Care Strategic Framework will be officially introduced to Eye Care Professionals.
This is a long-term plan and guide that was created by the Guyana Vision 20/20 Committee, in consultation with various eye care stakeholders, in an effort to provide guidance to Guyana in dealing with vision health issues so that it can reach the targets signed on to by the Vision20/20 Committee.
In addition the Guyana Vision 20/20 Committee will be officially re-launched and will be tasked to continue monitoring Guyana’s progress in achieving its objectives.
Jagdeo giving Exxon 102 cent to collect 2 cent.
Apr 25, 2024
By Rawle Toney Kaieteur Sports – The French Diplomatic Office in Guyana, in collaboration with the Guyana Olympic Association and UNICEF, hosted an exhibition on Tuesday evening at the...Kaieteur News – Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, persists in offering... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]