KABUL (SW) – In the past week, the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), supported by the financial backing of the King Salman and Al-Basr foundations, facilitated free treatment for more than 8,000 individuals suffering from eye diseases in Kabul. Among them, 800 patients with more severe conditions underwent surgery.
Many of the treated patients reported regaining their vision post-surgery.
Abdul Bari, a resident of Kabul who received treatment at the Afghan Red Crescent Hospital in Badam Bagh area, said: “I had been dealing with a cataract for a year. I couldn’t afford to go to public or private hospitals for treatment. But now, my eye problem is resolved.”
Another Kabul resident, Gul Bahram, also shared his experience: “I had a cataract, and after coming here for surgery, my vision has greatly improved. They also provided me with drops to help with my recovery.”
On Saturday, officials from the ARCS, during the closing ceremony of the free eye treatment initiative, urged the King Salman and Al-Basr foundations to establish a specialized eye hospital in Kabul.
“If a number of eye patients can be treated monthly by them, it would yield good results. We request Al-Basr and King Salman foundations to build a specialized hospital in Kabul to facilitate this,” Aziz al-Rahman, the deputy director of the ARCS, said.
On the other hand, Rizwan Ahmad Baloch, the general director of the Al-Basr foundation, mentioned that discussions with the de-facto Ministry of Public Health are ongoing regarding the establishment of a specialized eye hospital in Kabul.
“Conversations are continuing to build a specialized hospital in Kabul, which would also provide training opportunities for eye doctors in Afghanistan,” he added.
Since 2003, the King Salman and Al-Basr foundations have provided free treatment for over 25,000 patients with eye related diseases in Afghanistan.
