Specialists declare Seychelles cataract-free |06 March 2008

“Seychelles is now literally a cataract-free country, although new cases can of course occur, but they can now be easily dealt with because there is no backlog, Dr Ashok Shah, a Freemason, told the Minister for Health and Social Development, Marie-Pierre Lloyd at Victoria Hospital.

He nevertheless noted that some patients could not be operated on because of individual problems which could be aggravated by surgery.

He and his fellow doctor, Jyoti Travdi, had called on the minister to brief her how the February 24 to March 2 eye camp they ran had proceeded.

They were accompanied by local Freemasons and members of the Lions Club of Paradise Seychelles, who had facilitated the two doctors’ travel to Seychelles.

Dr Shah said that Victoria Hospital has one of the best equipped eye clinics possible, and that the hospital needs a full-time eye ophthalmologist to use it, to which the minister responded by saying that her ministry is in the process of recruiting an eye specialist.

Minister Lloyd noted that because of Seychelles being a middle income country, it receives little assistance even though it does require some, and she therefore appreciated the contribution the health sector received though the Lion’s Club.

The two doctors came from the Lions Sight First Eye Hospital at Loresho in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Freemasons of Seychelles have in the past arranged three similar “eye camps” -- in 2004, 2005 and again in 2006 -- when a total of 250 cataract operations were performed.