By Samuel Akumatey
Ho, Oct 01, GNA – The Ophthalmological Society of Ghana (OSG) is urging the government to hasten the provision of legislation to facilitate corneal transplants in the country.
Dr Dziffa Bella Ofori-Adjei, President of the Society said corneal blindness remained a “significant public health challenge” accounting for eleven per cent of blindness, however, laws to facilitate cornea donation and transplant was unavailable while thousands continued to languish in treatable blindness.
The President of the Society was addressing its 33rd Annual General Meeting held in Ho, and said policy remained a major requirement therefore the nation’s government should expedite needed action.
“No meaningful fight against corneal blindness can succeed without policy support. As a society, we must continue to be vocal advocates for change.
“We urge the government to continue increasing investment in eye health, particularly in the passing of the legislation for tissue (including cornea) and organ donation. This has been a long time coming and Government must act now,” she said.
Dr Ofori-Adjei further said efforts to address cornea diseases should attract broader stakeholder support, and said the Society remained steadfast in its commitments.
“Whether caused by trauma, infections, genetic disorders, or conditions such as vitamin A deficiency, it continues to affect thousands of our people, and it is a tragedy that something so preventable and treatable continues to be a major cause of blindness.
“Our mission is clear: to reduce the incidence of corneal blindness, provide effective treatment, and restore sight to those affected. To enable us to achieve this, we must focus on three crucial areas: prevention, treatment, and advocacy,” she stated.
The Society chose for this year’s annual general meeting, the theme “The Fight Against Corneal Blindness in Ghana: The Journey So Far and the Way Forward,” and which was a three-day event that brought together hundreds of ophthalmologists from across the country.
Professor Seth Lartey, Chief Examiner at the Faculty of Ophthalmology at the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons delivered the keynote address and said corneal diseases trailed cataract and glaucoma as a leading cause of blindness and that despite being avoidable and treatable, 12.7 million people worldwide were being affected.
Prof Lartey said in Ghana presently, an estimated 22,000 stood blinded by corneal diseases, and that more than half of the cases were caused using traditional eye medicines.
Some 12,400 corneal transplants are currently required, yet only five ophthalmic surgeons are available nationwide, and Prof Lartey said per projections, patients could wait for close to a decade to access transplant surgery.
“It’s a huge burden that we need to take,” he said while noting challenges with the distribution of the surgical professionals.
Prof Lartey commended Government interventions in health including the essential Vitamin A supplementation, saying they were “far advanced and working very well.”
He mentioned the need for early diagnosis but said there were not enough ophthalmologists in the healthcare system to meet the burden, and gaps in various skills required to operate diagnostic tools and equipment remained.
He said resident ophthalmologists were therefore being trained to, among others, repair corneas, and commended recent progress with cornea grafting in the country.
Backing calls for a prompt passage of related legislature, Prof Lartey said the unavailability of corneas was a major challenge and appealed to the political leadership to enable tissue transplants in the country.
“Corneas are not available, and it is a huge problem, and we need legislation to make it happen. Let us stop doing politics with health. We need the legislation passed as soon as possible to harvest tissues.”
The Ophthalmological Society is looking forward to the establishment of a cornea bank with the passage of the legislature and Prof Lartey spoke of the importance of such facility but lamented the acceptance rate for tissue donation in the country saying that only 30 per cent of the populace were willing to donate.
Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister who was special guest of honour commended the Ophthalmological Society for leading advocacy for corneal transplant, and said the Government would ensure the necessary legislative frameworks were provided.
He said the Government would continue to avail resources including eye care infrastructure and urged the populace to support organ donations.
The Society welcomed 12 new members at the general meeting.
GNA