Chinese teams to perform nearly 300 surgeries

Xinhua reported on May 20 that Chinese ophthalmologists, working with Burundian counterparts, launched a “Walk Towards Light” campaign in Bujumbura to provide free cataract surgery to nearly 300 patients. The announcement came at an official launch in Burundi’s commercial capital, according to Xinhua. (english.news.cn) In Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad Express reported this week that hundreds of people turned up at the Community Hospital of Seventh-day Adventists in Cocorite for free eye surgery, prompting police and traffic wardens to manage congestion around the site. (trinidadexpress.com) The two events were separate, but both showed the scale of demand when surgery is offered at no cost. In Burundi, the reported figure was nearly 300 cataract operations. In Trinidad, the turnout was large enough to produce long lines, crowd-control problems and traffic backups on the Western Main Road. (trinidadexpress.com) ### Who is carrying out the Burundi surgeries? Bujumbura was the site of the Burundi campaign launch on May 20, where officials said nearly 300 cataract patients would receive free surgery from Chinese ophthalmologists in collaboration with Burundian counterparts. Xinhua said the surgeries were part of the “Walk Towards Light” campaign. Nearly 300 patients is the central number in the Burundi programme as described by Xinhua. (english.news.cn) The report did not, in the excerpt available, set out a longer timetable or daily operating schedule for the surgeries. ### Why did police have to step in at the Trinidad hospital? Police officers from the St James and Four Roads stations, along with traffic wardens, were deployed in Cocorite after hundreds visited the hospital for free eye surgery, the Trinidad Express reported. (english.news.cn) The newspaper said officers helped keep traffic to “little to no” disruption on the sixth day of the programme after earlier congestion concerns. An earlier Express report on May 18 said police had already been called to the hospital after overcrowding and crowd-management problems as people sought cataract and pterygium procedures. (english.news.cn) That same day, another Express report described a “massive traffic pile-up” outside the hospital as patients arrived for treatment. ### How many surgeries have been done in Trinidad so far? A total of 1,600 mostly older men and women had received free cataract and pterygium surgeries since the Trinidad programme launched on May 14, the Trinidad Express reported on May 20. Organisers were aiming for 4,000 surgeries, project manager Samuel Sankar told the newspaper. (trinidadexpress.com) More than 1,200 people had already received surgeries by May 18, according to an earlier Express report. The initiative is being carried out by Hands International with local and international medical professionals, and one report said it was led by Indian ophthalmologist Dr. Jacobs Prabhakar and Dr. Reynold Agard. (trinidadexpress.com) ### What did patients have to do before surgery? Hospital officials in Trinidad said screening was conducted daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., with up to 300 eligible patients accommodated each day on a first-come, first-served basis. The Trinidad Express reported that people seeking treatment had to present an official cataract diagnosis before assessment by medical teams to determine whether they qualified for surgery. (trinidadexpress.com) Patients who underwent surgery were also required to return the following day for mandatory follow-up examinations, the newspaper said. In a separate report, the Express said many people were waiting either to be treated or to have bandages removed after surgery. (trinidadexpress.com) ### When do these programmes continue? The Burundi campaign was announced on May 20 in Bujumbura, with Chinese and Burundian teams set to carry out the surgeries for the nearly 300 identified cataract patients, according to Xinhua. In Trinidad, the Community Hospital programme began on May 14 and separate Express reports gave different end dates — May 24 in one article and May 26 in two others. (trinidadexpress.com) The same reports said the programme was operating daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., excluding Saturdays, with Hands International and hospital staff continuing screenings, surgeries and follow-up visits. (trinidadexpress.com) (english.news.cn)