Zimbabwe and China have signed a memorandum of understanding that will see over 600 cataract patients receiving free surgical operations.
The agreement was signed Wednesday by Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Zhou Ding and Zimbabwe's Health and Child Welfare minister Douglas Mombeshora at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals where the Asian country pledged to donate medical consumables left after the programme.
The Chinese envoy said said the agreement, known as the Bright Journey programme marks the latest step in medical and health cooperation between the two countries.
According to the agreement, a Chinese medical team will be dispatched to Zimbabwe to carry out free cataract clinical operations and conduct onsite training and academic exchanges with Zimbabwean medical personnel.
“It is not the first time that China has provided cataract surgery for Zimbabwean patients, and China initiated two "Bright Journey" programs in Zimbabwe in 2010 and 2012, helping over 800 local cataract patients,” he said.
Speaking at the event, Mombeshora expressed hope that local ophthalmologists will gain more experience and exposure during the exercise.
“We are very grateful for the equipment that has been donated, most of which is going to the respiratory centre that is being established in the hospital.
“The equipment will go a long way to manage more patients for us, and also train more doctors, more specialists to be trained,” he said.
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Mombeshora urged local medical personnel to tap into the Chinese traditional medical expertise as Zimbabwe embraces traditional medicine into modern medical practice.
“As a country, we are recognizing traditional medicine. I don't want to comment more on the Chinese side, but our own traditional medicine.”
“We now have a department in the Ministry of Health. It falls under the curative services. We also have a council that will oversee the practice of traditional medicine and the government has embraced it because we have seen the benefits. We have seen people who have been treated successfully,” he said.
Recent research conducted by the Sekuru Kaguvi Eye Hospital revealed that almost half of the country’s citizens have cataracts which might affect their eyesight in the future.
Rapid assessments of avoidable blindness conducted by the hospital confirmed that cataracts are caused by several conditions, among them trauma and injuries.
