The Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Health (MoH) in collaboration with the Samaritan’s Purse and the New Sight Eye Center on Tuesday, July 7, 2020 launched Free Eye Surgical Operation at the J.J. Dossen Memorial Hospital in Hamer, Maryland County. According to the Ministry of Health Director of Communications, Felecia Gbesioh, the weeklong eye surgical operation in the county is aimed at restoring better eyesight to visually impaired people residing in the county and its environs. The Ministry’s Communications Director also disclosed that the operation seeks to address situations ranging from Cataracts to Nearly Visual Impaired Individuals.
Madam Felecia Gbesioh indicated that the campaign declared against cataracts is funded by Samaritan’s Purse and implemented by New Sight Eye Center.
However, speaking at the commencement exercise, Samaritan’s Purse Program Coordinator on Health, Mrs. Yassa M. Darwolo, told the gathering that the free surgical operation launched is her organization’s (Samaritan’s Purse) way of contributing to the rebuilding processes of the Country’s Health Sector.
Explaining Samaritan’s Purse eagerness to seeing sights of Liberians being restored, she named Lofa, Gbarpolu, and Rivercess Counties as places over hundreds of residents regained their sights through the initiative.
The Samaritan’s Purse Program Coordinator on health used the occasion to call on residents (cataracts—a clouding of the lens in the eye leading to decrease in vision) of the county and its environs to turnnout in their numbers in order to undergo free surgical operation.
Meanwhile, she lauded the government of Liberia and partners for the unwavering support being given since the inception of the program.
Earlier, the Administrator of the J.J. Dossen Memorial Hospital, Mrs. Julia Natt Doe, who spoke on behalf of the Minister of Health lauded Samaritan’s Purse and New Sight Eye Center for selecting Maryland county as one of the beneficiary counties and expressed willingness to ensuring that the project is implemented the county.
“I am overwhelmed and inspired by your presence in my county, and we are willing to working with you in order to see patients, who over the period have suffered the effects of cataracts and blindness, can regain their sights,” she vows.
However, upon hearing the good news, patients across the county and its surroundings (River Gee and Grand Kru counties) have started trooping to the hospital to have their sights restored.