Feature: People suffering from cataract in Djibouti regain sight thanks to Chinese doctors

DJIBOUTI CITY, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Early in the morning, about 20 people suffering from cataract gathered at two mobile eye treatment centers at Peltier General Hospital in Djibouti City, the capital of the Red Sea country, to register and have examinations before a Chinese medical team conducted surgery for them.

Idriss, a 65-year-old man, arrived at the hospital at 7:00 a.m. He had learned earlier that a Chinese medical team would perform cataract operations for free in Djibouti, so he came to the hospital early to check and make an appointment for the surgery.

Starting last Wednesday, seven medical staff from China's Shanxi Eye Hospital began operations on people suffering from cataract to help them regain sight.

According to Liu Jianting, an ophthalmologist and leader of the Chinese medical team, they will stay in Djibouti for about a month to complete about 400 surgeries.

His team belongs to a medical aid program jointly run by the Chinese health administrations and the GX Foundation, a non-profit and non-governmental organization registered in Hong Kong, China, to provide free cataract surgeries to patients in the recipient countries.

Shanxi Province in northern China will send medical teams in batches over the next few years to perform about 6,000 free cataract surgeries in Djibouti.

Located in the Horn of Africa region, Djibouti has a tropical climate with long hours of sunshine and strong ultraviolet rays. The climatic conditions, combined with the poor level of medical care and people's living standards, make cataract one of the main causes of blindness among Djiboutians.

Many of the patients have been denied treatment for years due to the lack of sufficient professional ophthalmologists.

According to Liu, the patients have been delayed in receiving treatment, and their condition was getting worse, with many also suffering from multiple corneal diseases. "The situation here is much more serious than we had previously thought."

Bilyamine, a 20-year-old university student in Djibouti, has been suffering from cataract for six years due to improper use of medication. Before the surgery, he could only see books close to his eyes.

He told Xinhua that he had planned to travel to neighboring Ethiopia for the surgery, but the plan had been deterred because of the high cost of travel and surgery.

Accompanied by his mother, Bilyamine took several long bus rides to the hospital to have the surgery.

"With the help of Chinese doctors, my vision could return to normal," said the young man, with gauze wrapped around his eyes after the surgery. He expressed his gratitude to the Chinese doctors.

Ibrahim Hamoud Ibrahim, a retired ophthalmologist from this hospital, came to help examine patients for the free surgery program. About 10 years ago, he worked with the then Chinese medical team to treat more than 500 local patients.

"As a witness, all I can say is that I am grateful to the Chinese medical team, and I hope the project will go smoothly and look forward to more Chinese doctors to help the people of Djibouti," Ibrahim said.

Wang Haitao, another ophthalmologist with the Chinese medical team, was on his second medical aid mission to Africa. He said he was happy for his patients when he saw them regain their sight.

Wang said one patient came over to celebrate with a high five immediately after he found out he could see clearly after the surgery. "Though I didn't understand his language, I could see how happy he was."