Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has launched an eye disease treatment and anti-blindness medical convoy at the camps of displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan.
The $196,632 project is being carried out in co-operation with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) and the Health Department of Erbil, a press statement notes.
The project is aimed at examining around 1,200 patients at camps, diagnosing the cases, and referring them to hospital for surgical interventions. It involves the following camps of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs): Dar Shukran (312 patients), Harsham (118 patients), Bahirka (229 patients), Basirma (162 patients), Qashtaba (288 patients) and Kawergosk (86 patients).
To ensure the success of the medical convoy at the Eye Specialist Hospital in Erbil, an optical computerised tomography (OCT) machine was supplied for fundoscopy. It is the first high-tech machine to be used at the hospital to provide care for Iraqi IDPs, Syrian refugees and the host community in Iraqi Kurdistan. So far, 1,195 patients have been medically examined, 800 patients have received medications, and 95 cases have been referred to the Eye Specialist Hospital for surgeries. Dr Shawan Ismail, the hospital’s director, said: “I would like to thank QRCS’s personnel for the services and examinations they have provided since the launch of the project. I laud the great role of the OCT machine contributed by QRCS, which will help us better diagnose eye diseases among Iraqi IDPs, Syrian refugees and the host community. I hope for more support for the health sector to serve IDPs and refugees.”
This project is part of Qatar’s humanitarian efforts globally, as well as QRCS’s work to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable people and support the health of struggling Iraqi IDPs and Syrian refugees, by treating common eye diseases such as cataract, glaucoma, and elevated intraocular pressure, with medical examinations, referrals, surgeries and medication.
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