Vieri: Over 300 pupils benefit from Blissful Sight For Kids’ Free eyes screening exercise
The Blissful Sight For Kids Project as part of its free eyes screening exercise for school children, extended its support to pupils within the Vieri Circuit of the Wa West District in the Upper West Region.
The free eyes screening exercise that took place at the Vieri Methodist School on June 1, 2024 had 387 pupils successfully passing through the exercise.
Out of the number, pupils with normal eyes were 84,
Pathological cases thus having issues related to medication stood at 288, 10 cases of Refractive Errors thus having issues relating to eyeglasses were also recorded. 5 children were also diagnosed with Cataract and Glaucoma.
Medications were immediately given to children diagnosed of the various eyes related diseases whereas cases that could not be immediately attended to were referred to the nearest health facility.
Parents of the pupils from the Vieri, Yeleyiri, Baliofili and the adjourning communities that benefited from the exercise expressed their excitement and gratitude to Bliss Eye Clinic, Ghana Vision and their partners for the intervention.
Dr. Zakarea Al-hassan Balure, Medical Director of Bliss Eye Clinic seized the opportunity and admonished residents to always choose the health facilities for their eyes check up instead of resorting to traditional medication.
He further noted that, parents sit at home with their wards who have eye related conditions because of the high cost involved in procuring such medications.
Dr. Zakarea adds that, the incident is further exacerbated by the inability of the NHIS to cover all the other eyes related diseases treatment cost and their needed medication hence, his plea to government to consider expanding the NHIS to cover the treatment cost of the other eye related diseases.
On his part, Mr. Patrick Mornah, School Health Education Programme Coordinator for the Wa West District, on behalf of the Wa West District Education Directorate and the school children expressed gratitude to Bliss Eye Clinic, Ghana Vision and all partners for their intervention.
He assured Managers and Partners of the Blissful Sights For Kids Project that, the Wa West District Education Directorate would not hesitate in partnering with them on important exercises of this nature.
Source: Saeed Fatawu|myghanawatch.com|sdfatawu@gmail.com|