ISLAMABAD: An eight-member specialist medical team from COMSTECH and Al-Shifa Trust has successfully performed more than 200 free cataract surgeries at Dalmar Hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia.
According to COMSTECH, Al-Shifa’s team not only performed surgeries but also provided training in cataract surgery to doctors at Dalmar Hospital, thereby strengthening.
The medical team is conducting free cataract surgeries during the 10-day camp from March 1 to 10.
In total, more than 400 cataract surgeries will be performed, restoring sight and improving the lives of hundreds of people in Somalia.
The Free Cataract Eye Surgery Camp was announced by the OIC Standing Ministerial Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) in collaboration with Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi under the special instructions and guidance of COMSTECH General Coordinator, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary.
Al-NUR Foundation and Benazir University in Mogadishu provided hospital facilities to the camp.
The medical team traveled from Pakistan and consisted of eight members, including four ophthalmologists and two OT technicians from Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, as well as a PhD pharmacist and coordinator from COMSTECH.
Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary expressed his deepest gratitude to Major General (retd) Rehmat Khan, Chairman Al-Shifa Trust, for his invaluable guidance and initiative in organizing this free surgical camp.
Al-Shifa Trust’s generous financial and technical contributions have enabled COMSTECH to extend its services to the people of Mogadishu and provide them with much-needed eye care and surgeries.
This joint effort between COMSTECH and Al-Shifa Trust is expected to have a significant positive impact on the lives of people in Somalia.
By holding free eye camps, the organization aims not only to restore vision, but also to restore hope and dignity to those who need it most.
All necessary medicines, intraocular lenses and surgical consumables have also reached Somalia along with the medical team.
Earlier, a No Objection Certificate (NoC) was obtained from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for the export of these items as gifts to the Somali people. The Embassy of Somalia in Pakistan also provided valuable support in expediting the visa process for the medical team.
