ReliefWeb

June 11th, 2022 ― Doha: The medical convoy for eye disease treatment and anti-blindness deployed by Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) to Sudan is in progress, having so far offered 7,720 medical consultations and performed 246 surgeries for poor patients in two states.

Coordinated with Sudan’s health authorities, the project is co-implemented by QRCS’s representation office in Sudan, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), and the Al-Basar International Foundation.

In total, the targets of the project are 8,000 medical examinations, 800 surgeries, and 2,500 eyeglasses free of charge for the most vulnerable patients, through two eye treatment camps in Khartoum and Gezira.

Days 4 and 5 of the medical convoy logged 135 cataract and glaucoma operations in Mecca Eye Complex hospitals in Omdurman and Al-Kalakla (Khartoum), 2,300 medical consultations in Al-Kamar Al-Jalayin district (Gezira), and eyeglasses and medications distributed to the patients, whose ages ranged from ten to eighty.

On days 6 and 7, 111 cataract and glaucoma operations were performed in Makkah Eye Complex hospitals in Khartoum and Wad Madani (Gezira); 1,801 medical consultations were given in Al-Hilaliya, Makkah Hospital, and Wad Madani (Gezira); and eyeglasses and medications were distributed for free to the patients, whose ages ranged from one to eighty.

Apart from the medical interventions, the medical delegation and QRCS’s personnel in Sudan visited Al-Awlidain Charitable Specialized Eye Hospital in Omdurman (Khartoum), to identify the hospital’s needs, which provides medical services for vulnerable communities within a geographically wide span. It is visited by patients from all states, especially the western ones in Darfur and Kordofan, at a rate of 700-800 patients per day, served by 45 specialist doctors and 40 assistant specialists.

In coordination with Sudan Medical Specialization Board (SMSB), QRCS’s office held a seminar on the ophthalmology postgraduate curricula, attended by a large number of doctors and assistant ophthalmologists.

The session was instructed by the delegation’s doctors: Dr. Omar Al-Qahtani, senior consultant and Head of Ophthalmology Department at HMC, and Dr. Ismail Abdullah Al-Fadl, consultant ophthalmologist at PHCC.

Also, the delegation visited the University of Gezira’s (UOFG) National Cancer Institute, a research and treatment center that serves patients with cancer in Gezira. They met with the institute's staff and children with cancer to find out about their conditions and how to alleviate their suffering.

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About Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS)

Established in 1978, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is Qatar’s first humanitarian and volunteering organization that aims to assist and empower vulnerable individuals and communities without partiality or discrimination.

QRCS is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which consists of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and 192 National Societies. It is also a member of several GCC, Arab, and Islamic organizations, such as the Islamic Committee of International Crescent and the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO). In this legally recognized capacity, QRCS has access to disaster and conflict zones, thus serving as an auxiliary to the State of Qatar in its humanitarian and social efforts — a role that distinguishes it from other local charities and NGOs.

Both locally and internationally, QRCS has relief and development operations in numerous countries throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Central and South America. Its humanitarian mandates include disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and risk reduction. To mitigate the impact of disasters and improve the livelihoods of affected populations, QRCS provides medical services, food, water, shelter, and other needs of local communities. It is also active at the humanitarian diplomacy and advocacy front.

With the help of a vast network of trained, committed staff and volunteers, QRCS aspires to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity, inspired by the seven Fundamental Principles of humanitarian action: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.