NEW YORK, Feb. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
HelpMeSee and the Lions Health Foundation Alibag, India have launched a partnership to end
cataract blindness, the leading cause of vision loss in
India's largest state,
Maharashtra. The partnership focuses on training in Manual Small
Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS) and the use of surgical quality
assurance systems. Lions Health Foundation Alibag has begun
planning construction for a new hospital in Raigad District, the
initial focus area for the joint campaign.
Five Lions Clubs have joined together in Alibag to eliminate
cataract blindness in Raigad District, Maharashtra. To this end,
the Lions Clubs of Alibag, Alibag-Poynad, Alibag-Mandva,
Alibag-Revdanda and Lions Club Chembur Diamonds have united to form
a new body–Lions Health Foundation Alibag.
At the launch of the partnership between HelpMeSee and Lions
Health Foundation Alibag, HelpMeSee President & CEO
Jacob Mohan Thazhathu said,
"HelpMeSee is committed to excellence in training of cataract
surgeons and with simulation technology. This will ensure
outstanding quality of surgical care and patient services to
everyone. In this 21st century we owe it to every blind
and visually impaired person to actively pursue the goal of ending
cataract blindness."
Lion Nitin Adhikari,
Vice-Chairman, Lions Health Foundation Alibag made a pledge of
$50,000 to eliminate cataract
blindness in the Raigad District. Thanking Lion Adhikari, Mr. Thazhathu, applauded the
commitment of Lions Health Foundations efforts in Alibag for a
locally sustainable campaign.
Cataracts cause nearly two-thirds of all blindness in
India, where over five million are
estimated to be blind. According to Nitin
Gadkari, India's Road
Transport and Highways Minister, cataracts account for more road
accidents than alcohol.
HelpMeSee brings two of its key technologies to the partnership
in Raigad, including the HelpMeSee Reach App for population-based
patient services, and a pre-sterilized, single use, disposable
surgical kit for Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery
(MSICS).
"Our problem today is cataract," said Ashok Mehta, former President of the
International Association of Lions Clubs. "We've been working for
the past 25 years, but we have not been able to solve the problem.
I am sure with the help of HelpMeSee we'll be able to see the light
of day and bring vision to thousands of people who are needy and
deserving."
Co-coordinating efforts, Lion Venkataraman Subramanian of Lions Club Chembur
Diamonds said, "The campaign which we have initiated now between
Lions Health Foundation Alibag and HelpMeSee is unique in every
sense. It is a partnership between two international organizations
that believe in removing unnecessary blindness. We will ensure that
the surgery done is of international standards - for all patients
whether rich or poor, belonging to any caste or creed. This is just
the tip of the iceberg. We have to eliminate blindness from all the
districts."
About HelpMeSee
HelpMeSee is a global campaign to end cataract blindness, the
leading cause of blindness worldwide. By doing so, HelpMeSee
intends to make the sight-restoring surgery available to millions
of poor within their communities, by training tens of thousands
(mostly women) to perform high quality, high volume MSICS surgery
throughout the developing world. HelpMeSee is pioneering a virtual
reality surgical simulator and training program to be implemented
worldwide, adapted from extensive experience in simulator-based
aviation training. Since 2012, the campaign has supported over
237,000 surgeries through 242 partnerships across India, Nepal,
China, Vietnam, Madagascar, Togo, Sierra
Leone, Peru and The
Gambia.
About Lions Clubs International & Lions Health Foundation
Alibag
Lions Clubs International is the largest service club
organization in the world with over 1.4 million members in more
than 46,000 clubs serving communities in more than 210 countries
and geographical areas worldwide. Since 1917, Lions clubs have
aided the blind and visually impaired, championed youth initiatives
and strengthened local communities through hands-on service and
humanitarian projects. Five Lions Clubs in Greater Mumbai joined together to form the
Lions Health Foundation Alibag.
CONTACT: Steele Burrow, 1-212-221-7605, pr@helpmesee.org
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SOURCE HelpMeSee