Tanzania is facing a shortage of optical
specialists, having only 17 of them in the entire nation, 15 of them in
Dar es Salaam and two to serve the rest of the country.
Yet every year, 70,000 Tanzanians go blind and hundreds of thousands more suffer from one or another form of eye illness.
This was revealed by Fidea Mvinji who is
the Tanzania Coordinator for Optic Services in the Comprehensive
Community Based Rehabilitation (CCBRT) during a celebration to mark the
World Sight Day observed globally in the second week of October. This
year it was themed, “Better Eye Healthy for National Development” and
was hosted in Kinondoni district.
She also added that 80% of the eye ailments and diseases are treatable and can even be prevented.
Seconding her views was Dar-es-Salaam’s
Mayor, Said Mecky Sadick who said eating balanced diet rich in fresh
fruits (especially red ones) and greens is a sure way to prevent any
illnesses since it builds the body’s immune system.
He acknowledged that there is need to
raise awareness on how to maintain healthy eyes and requested other
stakeholders to extend a helping hand to hospitals in cash and kind.
On a brighter note, Standard Chartered
Deputy Managing Director, Sabi Theobath said his bank has spent about
37m US dollars in fighting against blindness worldwide, helping some
170,000 people to recover from blindness in Tanzania and promised to
continue the efforts.
CHANZO:
THE GUARDIAN
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