28/05/2025
๐ญ๐ณ๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐-๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ
From May 18 to 24, 2025, Mtendere Mission Hospital in Chirundu District, Southern Province, hosted a week-long surgical outreach that delivered vital eye care services to over 170 patients. A total of 66 cataract surgeries were successfully performed, including two on children with trauma-related cataracts.
The outreach was a collaborative initiative led by the Oculus Foundation, in partnership with Maina Soko Medical Centre, and generously sponsored by Lions Aid Zambia. The program focused on providing free screening and surgical intervention to help combat avoidable blindness in the region.
โThe overwhelming turnout underscored the urgent need for continued and expanded outreach efforts,โ said Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Everisto Banda, Head of the Ophthalmology Department at Maina Soko Medical Centre. โWe saw patients from all over the district, and the demand far exceeded expectations.โ
Brother Hippolyte, Director of Mtendere Mission Hospital, confirmed that local residents have already begun requesting future missions, reflecting the lasting impact the outreach has had on the community.
Dr. Grace Chipalo Mutati, Consultant Ophthalmologist and Director of the Oculus Foundation, emphasized that this effort is part of a wider strategy to close the gap in eye care access. โCataracts account for nearly 50 percent of all avoidable blindness. With the right partnerships and resources, we can prevent hundreds from needlessly losing their sight,โ she said.
The success of the Chirundu outreach demonstrates the power of collaboration in addressing critical health needs and reinforces the importance of continuing such missions in underserved areas.
