Gambia As Proposed Venue for Regional Eye Care Centre

The Independent (Banjul)
NEWS
October 25, 2002
Posted to the web October 25, 2002

By Lamin Njie
Banjul

Arrangements are in the offing for a regional eye care centre to be built
in The Gambia according to Ansumana Sillah of the Brikama Health Centre.

Mr. Sillah revealed during ceremonies marking World Sight Day, Thursday
that the centre would serve as a training centre for the sub-region under
the supervision of Sight Savers International. Mr. Sillah further added
that The Gambia Eye Control Programme is a role model around the West
Africa region, making the country a suitable regional home for eye care
research.

Sillah speaking on the theme 'Help Make Childhood Blindness Disappear'
stated that The Gambia was also nominated to coordinate Eye Care Programmes
in the sub-region due to its leading role in the prevention of blindness.

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner of Western Division, Momodou Lamin
Jobarteh said World Blind Day celebration focuses on the problems of
blindness and its devastating effects in society. He said it is the duty of
humanity to fight blindness in order to prevent avoidable blindness by
2020.

For his part, Momodou Bah of Sight Savers International said there are 45
million blind people and 135 million visually impaired people worldwide.
Bah said that 80 percent, of such cases of blindness could have been
prevented or cured. He challenged stakeholders to work together as partners
to achieve their goals.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Bakary Ceesay of Health Department and
Mohammed Kora, National President of the Gambia Organisation for the
Visually Impaired (GOVI).

The celebration was marked by a march pass by the Police Band, school
children and Kary Leing -Women Groups from the Brikama Health Centre, to
the Commissioner's Office.

Gassa's note:

In another development, The Gambia's medical assistance to our sister
country of Guinea Bissau continues. This week, The Gambia's eye care team
completed their second successful tour of care delivery to Guinea Bissau.
During their first trip to that country prior to the ranting of their
deranged head of state about crushing us, the same team performed
successful operations on more than 200 blind and partially blind people
restoring their lost sights. This, my friends, was very instrumental in
convincing Kumba Yall that we bore his country no ill will

Have a good day, Gassa.


--
There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see,
yet small enough to solve (Mike Leavitt)

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