The Federal Minister for Health Muhammad Nasir Khan said that Pakistan is the first country in Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) which has responded to WHO initiative to have National Vision for preventing blindness by allocating substantial money to curb this menace.
The Minister addressing the seminar on National Programme for Prevention and Control of Blindness (NPPCB) 2005-2010 here on Saturday, said a project management unit (PMU) has been established in the Ministry of Health under the Vision 2020.
The minister told the seminar that the health budget has been increased to Rs 11.8 billion in 2006-07 from Rs 3.4 billion in 2000-01, which is a strong indicator of the vision of the government is attaching great importance to health sector, he added.
He stressed on improving the system and thus emphasised on good managers, which could deliver the goods. He said that good system takes care of the people itself and stressed on the preventive measures, which he stated are better than cure.
He revealed that an early detection and treatment centre for breast cancer would be opened within two to three weeks by the first lady. A similar centre would also be opened for hearing problems of children, he added.
Blindness is rated as one of the five major disabilities and accounts for hindrance in the growth of economy as well contributes to poverty, said the minister.
"A Right to Sight", a global initiative of WHO and IAPB (International Agency for Prevention of Blindness) to eradicate preventable blindness from the world, which is causing blindness every second to an adult and affecting every child a minute World Health Assembly (WHA) passed a resolution on elimination of avoidable blindness in May 2003.
Realising the intensity of the disability, the resolution commits member countries to develop national Vision 2020 plans in an effort to achieve the elimination of avoidable blindness by the year 2020.
Earlier, National Co-ordinator, National Programme for Prevention and Control of Blindness, Professor Dr Asad Aslam Khan, while briefing the seminar said, the project is worth Rs 2.77 billion and aims at eradicating preventable blindness.
The five-year National plan will upgrade 7 centres of excellence, eye units of 20 teaching hospitals, 63 District Headquarter (DHQ) and 147 Tehsil Headquarter (THQ) hospitals across the country.
The programme, he said would prevent blindness in over two million people and restore two million blind people of whom one million would be women. Furthermore, vision of 15,000 children would be restored under this project, he added.
The plan which mainly focuses to develop sub-specialities in the field of ophthamogy, mainly Paediatric Ophthamology, Viteroretinal diseases and Glaucoma, etc, would provide modern technology to all level of eye care (Centres of excellence, tertiary teaching hospitals, DHQ and THQ hospitals) across the country, he elaborated.
The prevalence of blindness in Pakistan has dropped down to 1 per cent from 1.78 percent by the survey conducted in 2002-04 and Pakistan now stands at number 10 with 1.5 million people blind than 18 the previously in EMR with 2.08 million blind people. Two third of these are women, MoH's survey reports.
WHO Representative in Pakistan, Dr Khalif Bile Mahmoud congratulated Government of Pakistan, which for the first time in her history is sponsoring and giving priority to blindness. He further appreciated Pakistan's efforts to eradicate blindness, which he said, is advancing very fast, ever than before, he added.
Project Director (NPPCB), Dr Athar Saeed Dil requested the media to take special interest in the promotion of this national campaign, which could help them achieve the targets, he maintained.