Asamankese, May 5, GNA - A GHC 40,000 eye clinic was yesterday inaugurated at the Asamankese Government Hospital. The project, the building and the equipment, were funded by the Standard Charted Bank.

It is one of four eye clinics, all fully equipped with surgical and

other facilities, with the others sited at Suhum, Donkorkrom and Nkawkaw all in the Eastern Region.

Speaking at the inauguration, Mr Hemen Shah, Chief Executive Officer of the bank in Ghana and area General Manager for West and Central Africa, said the projects were possible through partnership with Sight Savers International and the Ministry of Health. He said in 2007, the Bank launched a comprehensive eye care project in the Eastern Region under its "seeing is believing" initiative with Sight

Savers and the Ministry of Health.

The three-year project sought to protect over one million people from blindness through the distribution of Mectizan (which prevent river blindness), in addition to the training of eye care personnel, and the provision of infrastructure and equipment. The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu -Ampofo, expressed appreciation to the Standard Charted Bank and Sight Savers for supporting a worthy course with their "precious gift", He appealed to the Regional Health Directorate to seek support for the establishment of a mobile eye clinic, so that people in the remote areas of the Region would benefit from eye care. He expressed the hope that the bank, Sight Savers and the Ministry of Health would help in that direction.

Mr Ofosu Ampofo asked health personnel to use dialogue instead of strikes for the re-dress of grievances, since strike endangers lives. The Regional Director of Sight Savers West Africa, Mr Ben Hoefnagels, said Sight Savers presently spent 42 billion dollars a year to improve the sight of people worldwide and said it was likely that the bill by 2020 would go up to 110 billion dollars.

The Regional Director said a survey conducted in the Eastern Region showed that 15,000 people were blind and 30,000 had severe or moderate sight impairment and his organization was helping to improve their condition. He said 75 percent of all blindness was preventable or avoidable. The Regional Director of Health services, Dr Erasmus Agongo, thanked the Bank and Sight Savers for their immense contribution in the form of buildings, provision of equipment including consumable materials, capacity building such as training of doctors, nurses and community eye-care providers. 5 May 10