A special cataract camp sponsored by the National Awqaf Foundation of South Africa (AWQAF SA) in partnership with the Islamic Medical Association of South Africa (IMASA) and the Gauteng Department of Health in a Public Private Partnership is to be held on the 11, 12th April 2015 at the Leratong Hospital, Krugersdorp. A team of two surgeons and fifteen support staff operating in two theatres will, with the Grace of the Almighty, perform approximately 50 operations. These operations will be performed free of charge to all patients. (A cataract operation can cost up to R15000.)
With the help and Mercy of Almighty God a total of 3238 Cataract Operations have been performed since beginning of the project from April 2005 to date. We are very grateful to AWQAF SA for their sponsorship of the cataract project since 2005. We are planning to expand the project to some other hospitals with their kind help.
– Dr Shabbir Hussain, Chief Opthalmologist of the project
Cataracts are generally simple to diagnose and the surgery is considered to be a straightforward, quick procedure with few complications. However despite this, the major cause of blindness worldwide is due to cataracts. In keeping with the global initiative of Vision 2020 – the right to sight.
A discharge ceremony will be held for the cataract camp on Monday 13th of April at 9:30am at the Nursing School at the Leratong Hospital. All patients will receive a gift hamper by various guests.
Awqaf SA is a charitable endowment (waqf) organisation that invests donor endowment funds and spends/grants only the income generated from investments with the aim of developing sustainable giving solutions.
The Awqaf SA model of charity is to grow its endowment funds so that it is able to ensure recurring, sustainable income for funding projects such as the cataract operations regularly and more frequently, with the hope that no human being remains blind due to a lack of means.
Awqaf SA thanks its trustees, donors, volunteers, Dr Shabbir Husain and the IMASA team, and the Almighty that make it possible for all to contribute to the gift of sight through the cataract operations.