Dr. Aqeel Al Ghamdi, Assistant Supervisor General for Planning and Development at King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), recently unveiled the “Ebsar” initiative, a Saudi volunteer program to combat blindness and its causes, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The launching ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Dhaka in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Bangladesh, Mr. Issa bin Yousef Al Duhailan.
The program, which will help students from multiple schools in Dhaka, will be implemented in collaboration with the Al Basar International Foundation. A volunteer medical team from Saudi Arabia will provide eye examinations to 50 Dhaka area schools, and perform specialized eye surgeries, as well as distribute spectacles and other corrective lenses to those needing vision correction.
More than 30,000 students will benefit from the KSrelief program, which Ambassador Al Duhailan said is an extension of other initiatives implemented in Bangladesh by KSrelief, as part of the close relationship between the Republic of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Al Ghamdi explained that reducing the rate of blindness and visual impairment for patients in Bangladesh is a top priority for KSrelief, and part of the program will involve training schoolteachers on how to identify early signs of vision problems in their students, and when to seek professional help. Dr. Al Ghamdi and the KSrelief team visited several schools where students were already receiving eye care services.
The volunteer medical team will examine around 1,000 students over the next three days and provide glasses to those who need them. Patients who require more advanced medical treatment for their vision issues will be referred to specialized hospitals for further care.
The KSrelief team also visited Al Basar International Foundation’s Makka Eye Hospital, one of the foundation’s humanitarian projects that is part of the extensive Global Program to Combat Blindness. The hospital offers eye care as a humanitarian service for patients from areas with limited access to eye care, diagnosis, and treatment.
UzA