Fifteen patients will benefit from cataract eye surgeries, courtesy of the Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited and the Save Eyes Everywhere S.E.E. Foundation.
Speaking at the Beyond Vision Ceremony on Thursday, Minister of Health Dr Lackram Bodoe noted that as this country faces a high prevalence of diabetes-related eye diseases, prevention, screening, and partnerships are essential to reduce costs and blindness.
“We have a big burden of NCDs in this country and one of our major burdens is diabetes. And diabetic eye disease, what we call retinopathies, which is damage to the retina, is a very challenging problem. If you reach the point where you need a VR surgery, a vitreo-retinal surgery, it can cost you in the private sector upwards of $35,000. So it is quite expensive. The Ministry, of course, has a programme. We try our best to try and facilitate and to help where we can. But of course, it is with contributions and collaborations from organisations like yours that will ease the burden on the population.”
President of the S.E.E. Foundation, Ibraheem Mohammed, said what began as an intervention to help people restore their vision has expanded. Through various partnerships, he said the Foundation is providing free eye screening and prescription glasses to students in Tobago.
“I’ve spent ten years in the optometry position, most of it at the Trinidad Eye Hospital. I’ve sat in the rooms; I’ve watched people hear the cost of surgery and say, ‘Alright, Doc, I’ll manage.’ Nobody who says that is actually managing. They go home, and the world gets smaller. They stop driving, eventually they stop reading. Then a son or daughter may have to cut back on work to look after them. The impact of losing one person’s independence can be felt throughout the entire family.”
Meanwhile, Board Member of Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited, Nirmala Balkaran, said the programme is proud to extend support to those who need it most.
“This programme is much more than a charitable undertaking. It is a heartfelt commitment to transforming the lives to restored sight, renewed independence, and a renewed home. At Paria we understand that our responsibility extends beyond providing energy. We are committed to the wellbeing of the communities in which we operate and to the wider society of Trinidad and Tobago.”
Patients expressed their gratitude for the partnership that is helping them to see more clearly.
“I’m looking forward to it. I have problems in doing my chores at home. To sweep, I will sweep a certain part of the house, and the corners I cannot see to sweep, my daughter has to come and show me.”
Minister Bodoe was joined by Minister in the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, Ernesto Kesar, and the Member of Parliament for Claxton Bay and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Skills Training, Hansen Narinesingh.
He assured that both the Ministries of Health and Education are continuing to work together to promote health and wellness among our nation’s youth, combating diabetes and reducing the prevalence of diabetic eye diseases.