KIDAPAWAN CITY—About 100 poor elders here were given free cataract and pterygium operations on December 20 as an early Christmas gift from the city government.
Mayor Joseph Evangelista said the program aims to ensure indigent patients could avail themselves of cataract and pterygium surgeries for free in a bid to curb the prevalence of visual impairment and blindness among his constituents. The city government has tapped several local ophthalmologists who offered free services for the initiative.
Beneficiaries were endorsed through the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (Osca) and underwent preliminary examinations to determine the degree of their visual condition. Evangelista also plans to expand the program next year, which could open more slots for qualified indigent patients incapable of seeing an eye specialist. “We are planning to tap national line agencies to support and partner with us in this endeavor by integrating it in their programs,” he said. Evangelista is particularly eyeing partnerships with PhilHealth and the Department of Health on the program by next year. PNA