Pretoria - The opening of a paediatric eye care centre in KwaZulu-Natal is set to restore hope for millions of children in the province with eyesight problems.
It is believed there are 3.5 million children in KwaZulu-Natal who have problems with their eyesight.
The new ORBIS Paediatric Eye Care Centre at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital will offer specialised treatment and surgery for blinding conditions, including paediatric congenital cataracts, glaucoma, retinoblastoma and uncorrected refractive error, which are common in South Africa.
The centre, which is a product of a three-year partnership between the Health Department and international sight-saving organisation, ORBIS, will officially be opened on Friday by the provincial Health MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo and Deputy Minister of Public Works, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu.
Dhlomo will also on Friday launch a healthy lifestyle programme at King Edward VIII Hospital. The programme is aimed at encouraging healthcare workers to participate in active and healthy lifestyle programmes to prevent non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, among others.
He will also join First Lady Sizakele Khumalo-Zuma, Dr May Mashego-Mkhize as well as Queen Thandi MaNdlovu Zulu in launching a partnership programme aimed at working with communities for better health care delivery in Umlazi M Section.
