TAMPIN, 5 OCTOBER – Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) celebrates World Sight Day 2018 with the involvement of its eye specialists from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FPSK) in the program, of Cataract Camp Ministry of Health Program (KK-KKM) at Tampin Hospital, Negeri Sembilan. The program, organised by the Department of Cluster Ophthalmology, Tuanku Ampuan Najihah Hospital (HTAN), Kuala Pilah, was held for three days from Tuesday to Monday (2 to 4 October 2018). A total of four USIM eye experts have contributed their expertise throughout the Cataract Camp, which also received the cooperation of Tuanku Jaafar Hospital (HTJ), Seremban.
According to Dr Azlina Mokhtar, a USIM medical lecturer involved in the program, the involvement of USIM experts is a sign of support for the efforts by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to reduce the rate of cataract-induced blindness by means of surgery, and to offer free intraocular lens services to these patients. This facility focuses on rural communities and the less fortunate as the intraocular lenses recipients, contributed by the National Intraocular Lens Bank (BKIOK).
“Hospital Tampin was chosen as the location of the program as the hospital was given the role of MOH as the Cataract Surgical Center under the Cataract Clinic Program of the Ministry of Health Malaysia. Together with the organisers, we placed an initial target of 25 to 27 patients who we can treat and as a result, we received and treated 78 patients during the three days that the program was conducted.”
“We have a close relationship with the Department of Ophthalmology HTAN over the years as USIM, through the Department of Ophthalmology FPSK and the USIM Health Specialist Clinic, has a regular mobile eye specialist clinic service, which is the KLiP Mobile, sent to selected locations throughout Negeri Sembilan. Patients identified with cataracts via the KLiP Mobile USIM screening will be sent to the Tampin Hospital for cataract surgery performed by USIM’s own ophthalmologist. There are also cases of the asnaf (poverty-stricken) patients who use donations from the Tabarruq Bank of the USIM Health Specialist Clinic to finance the treatment received”, he said.
On behalf of the main organiser of the Cataract Camp, i.e. the Department of Cluster Ophthalmology of HTAN, they stated that this is the third time such a program was held since its commencement in 2016. They expect to organise this annually to enable more people to reap the benefits of the services and amenities offered in line with the slogan “Bridging The Gap, Towards Accessible Eye Care For All”.
Prepared by:
Zaini Othman
Pusat Komunikasi Strategik (StraComm)
Aras 1, Canselori Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM)
71800 Nilai, Negeri Sembilan
Tel : 06-798 8026/78629/78620 Faks : 06-798 8032
