Only private sector cannot cope with challenge of blindness

Rawalpindi : Al-Shifa Trust is going to build another eye hospital in Quetta that would cost around Rs80 million and it will be completed in the year 2024 but only the private sector cannot cope with the challenge of blindness, said Al-Shifa Trust President Major General (r) Rehmat Khan.

Sharing details with a group of journalists about Al Shifa Eye hospital in Quetta, he said that the facility will have a capacity of facilitating 400 patients per day. Army has allocated suitable land to the Al-Shifa Trust on which a state-of-the-art eye hospital will be built to improve the delivery of care in the city and rural areas.

The site is adjacent to Quetta Cantonment, it is a site for education and health city where NUST, cancer and cardiology hospitals are also located and the public will have an easy approach to the facility, said President Al-Shifa Trust. He said that all the details have been finalized during his visit to Quetta in July.

He further said that with a mission to eliminate blindness and to take eye care of as many people as possible, the hospital would provide comprehensive eye care services to the people of Balochistan.

This hospital with fifty beds will have a capacity to tackle 400 OPD patients and conduct 50 surgeries per day while every patient will get high-quality and efficient services, he said.

An agreement has been signed with the concerned authorities, the site has been demarcated and an architect has been hired. Besides doctors, paramedical staff for Quetta eye hospital, are undergoing comprehensive training at Al-Shifa Trust Rawalpindi, he said.

Rehmat Khan said that the trust under its community outreach program is conducting free eye camps in the far-flung areas of Balochistan, treating thousands of patients. He pointed out that to eradicate blindness public sector should come forward as eye diseases are increasing at a fast pace. Our population is increasing; sugar disease and lack of awareness are other major causes of the increase in the number of eye patients. Only the private sector cannot cope with the challenge of blindness, he said.