A three-day
workshop on bilingual primary eye care for West Africa ended recently. It was held at the
Paradise Suites Hotel in Senegambia and it was organised by Sight Savers International (SSI).
The
workshop brought people from 15 African nations, namely: Niger, Nigeria, Zanzibar, Zambia, The Gambia, Senegal, Cameroon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau, Togo, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, together. Speaking at the closing
ceremony of the workshop the Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare,
Dr. Malick Njie thanked the organisers for choosing The Gambia as the venue for
this international workshop. He revealed that The Gambia adopted the Primary
Health Care (PHC) programme in 1979 following the Alma-Ata Declaration Of 1978.
Subsequently the programme on immunisation was established in 1982 and was
integrated with the maternal and childcare programme for a more cost effective
and efficient system. He further revealed that there has been a reduction in
child mortality based on the targeted diseases since then. "Remarkable progress
was made in immunisation coverage with a considerate reduction in child
morality" Mr. Njie stated.
For his
part the executive officer of SSI, Mr. Benedict Beni said the aim of the
workshop was to develop primary eye care in West Africa. He disclosed that the workshop was
also meant to identify priority actions and integrate blindness prevention in
the existing PHC programme.
He also
advised the participants to make good use of the knowledge gained from the
workshop and share it with their communities.
