Togo Launches Free Cataract Surgery Campaign in Lacs Prefecture

Health
Tuesday, 25 June 2024 16:34
Togo Launches Free Cataract Surgery Campaign in Lacs Prefecture

(Togo First) - In a move to address the high prevalence of cataracts in the country, Togo has launched a new public health campaign targeting the Lacs Prefecture in the southeast. The initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene, aims to provide free cataract surgery for up to 2,000 people in the locality.

The campaign, launched at the Centre Hospitalier Préfectoral (CHP) d'Aného, follows a national survey on visual deficiencies and is part of the National Eye Health Program (PNOS). The goal is not only to treat the disease but also to raise public awareness about cataracts.

The initiative follows the success of the 'Zero Cataracts' operation, which reached over 10,000 people in the country's five regions by 2022.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 50% of blindness cases in Africa are attributable to cataracts, an opacification of the crystalline lens that mainly affects populations in rural areas, often deprived of access to adequate care. In Togo alone, some 200,000 cataract sufferers remain untreated.

The campaign is expected to run until July 2024, to treat as many people as possible and reduce the prevalence of untreated cataracts in the Lacs Prefecture.

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