A two-week free eye campaign is underway in Aweil town of South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal State targeting about 1,000 eye patients.
The eye campaign, the third in Aweil this year, started on Sunday.
Tatiana Gerber, the health advisor at the Catholic Diocese of Wau told Radio Tamazuj that Northern Bahr el Ghazal State records the highest number of eye patients in the country.
“We are conducting the third eye campaign in Aweil because we know that the burden of Cataracts in this state is the highest than in other states of South Sudan. We estimated that at least 10,000 people are blind due to the Cataract and you can see in every campaign that we receive 500 people daily from Aweil South, Aweil West, and Aweil East counties,” she said.
“We are targeting 1,000 completely blind people because we would like to give everybody a chance to see,” she affirmed.
Atak Ajal, who hails from Tiaraliet Payam in Aweil South County had a successful surgery and expresses his gratitude.
“I am very glad because I got the treatment and I appreciate the doctors conducting the operations. I will now regain vision as before,” said an excited Ajal.
Michael Akol, who has accompanied his uncle for surgery said he was optimistic that his uncle will see again.
“I see the operations are well done by the doctors. My uncle’s operation is going properly and I wish that he will sees so that he can go wherever he wants. I am urging people who are around here to go and mobilize our blind in rural areas,” he said.
The campaigns are funded by the German Government in collaboration with the Catholic Church and other partners.