Noor Dubai Foundation performs 422 surgeries in Ethiopia

DUBAI / Emirates Business

The Noor Dubai Foundation concluded its therapeutic mobile eye camp to prevent blindness in Worabe-Silte Region – The republic of Ethiopia. This is Noor Dubai’s second mobile eye camp in Worabe and the first mobile eye camp organized in 2016, with the support of Dubai Islamic Humanitarian Foundation.
The camp was held from March 10-15 during which Noor Dubai Foundation provided its diagnostic and therapeutic eye services to 4,900 patients, performed 422 surgeries, and distributed 850 eyeglasses to those in need.
The Ethiopian population is estimated to be over 80 million individuals, however, there are fewer than 100 qualified eye doctors in Ethiopia and most of them are located in the capital and the larger towns. Therefore, there are only 15-20 eye doctors serving the remaining 70 million people. It is estimated that more than 1.2 million Ethiopians are visually impaired and 0.5 million are blind, with the leading cause of blindness in Ethiopia being cataracts.
HE Humaid Al Qatami Chairman of Noor Dubai Foundation, said, “The Foundation seeks to reach out to all of those in need around the world and provide free eye treatments.”
Al Qatami also praised the local supporters in the UAE and the local ministries and entities in Ethiopia for their cooperation to insure the success of this camp. He also praised the UAE Embassy in Ethiopia and the efforts made by H.E. Gazi Abdullah Al Mahri, UAE Ambassador to Ethiopia, to ensure the success of the charitable initiatives from the United Arab Emirates to the rest of the world.
Al Mahri visited the latest camp held in Worabe and extended his support to the Noor Dubai team throughout their stay.
Dr. Manal Omran Taryam, Board member and Chief Executive Officer of Noor Dubai Foundation, talked about the success of the latest camp held in Worabe. She said, “We were able to provide diagnostic and therapeutic services to over 4,000 patients, performed around 400 surgeries, and distributed over 500 eyeglasses.”
Dr. Taryam also added, “The camp was held in Worabe Hospital in Worabe City, which is located 200km from Addis Ababa. There are no specialized eye hospitals in the region and most of the eye doctors are located in the capital and larger towns. This increases the difficulty of getting proper eye healthcare services and the importance of having our mobile eye camps in the region.
Dr. Taryam also stated that the camp had a professional group of ophthalmologists and optometrists who joined the team. So far, the Foundation reached more than 23 million individuals and is targeting to reach 30 million individuals around the world by 2025.