"Sight First" Program Benefits Blind People in HunanSight First Program for 2000 has started in Changsha, provincial capital of central China's Hunan, with three medical teams being sent to three counties to give one- month treatment to cataract patients.The teams are part of a "Sight First China Action" program launched in 1997 by the Ministry of Health, the Chinese Disabled Persons Federation, and Lions Club International. The program aims to help 1.75 million Chinese people regain their eyesight and train 11,000 ophthalmologists at rural hospitals across the country between 1997 and 2000. According to local sources, 12,000 blind people have regained their eyesight since the program was implemented in Hunan province in 1997. The program will help another 500 or so people suffering from cataracts to regain their eyesight this year. The three teams are equipped with ophthalmologic equipment, other medical apparatus, artificial crystalloid, and financial subsidies to cover costs for cataract operations for those who can 't afford them. Local governments in Hunan also provided the teams with fund. "Sight First China Action" has helped 1.1 million cataract patients regain their eyesight across China since it was launched three years ago. Some 60 percent are from rural areas. By 2006, some 2.5 million cataract patients will have received medical operations nationwide. Medical organizations designed to help people who become blind from cataracts regain eye sight will be available in 90 percent of China's counties. |
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