Thousands welcome gov’t eye testing, spectacles programme

Thousands of children and elderly citizens benefitted from the government’s eye testing and spectacles programme being rolled out by the Ministry of Health on Saturday.

The programme began at Dundee Health Centre, Enmore Hope Primary School, and Diamond Health Centre.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, visited these locations and engaged with residents who said they were grateful for the initiative.

Mariah Ram, a parent, commended the government for prioritising the nation’s children, urging other parents to take advantage of the opportunity.

“It is free of cost and it is good. I encourage everybody else to come out because I came out and it wasn’t bad, and I am seeing progress with my son,” Ram told the media.

Another parent, Christina Hassan,said her two daughters faced academic challenges due to vision issues.

She expressed her gratitude for the initiative.

“It is very nice because a lot of parents cannot afford to get their children’s eyes tested on their own with how everything in the economy going sky high. So, I think it is very good that the government did this,” she said.

Renessa France, a mother of three, seized the opportunity to have all her children’s eyes tested after they complained of watery eyes and difficulty seeing the board in school.

“When I heard that the government was doing this initiative, I brought them out to test their eyes because is a free programme they are offering. If their eyes are bad, they are [government] giving a little grant so that they can put towards the purchase of the eyeglasses. So, it is a good initiative,” France explained.

Mother of Three, Renessa France took the opportunity to test the eyes of all her kids after they had raised concerns about runny eyes and difficulty seeing the board in school.

Additionally, Vickchand Ramphal, Regional Chairman for Region Five, highlighted the significant impact the initiatives will have on improving the lives of citizens.

He encouraged everyone to participate, mentioning that over 2,000 persons had already benefited from eye testing and some of those who were tested had received spectacles.

During the event, Minister Anthony underscored that individuals diagnosed with cataracts during the screening would be added to a treatment list.

“If we detect, apart from you needing glasses, that you have cataracts, then we will put you on a list and we will be able to do those surgeries for you,” he assured.

The programme, targeting individuals aged 18 and under and those 65 and older, offers a $2,000 voucher for eye screening and $15,000 to cover the cost of spectacles, if required.

The eye testing and spectacles programme aims to alleviate financial burdens associated with eye care while enhancing access to vision correction services nationwide.

This is part of the PPP/C government’s 2020-2025 manifesto commitment geared at enhancing the lives of citizens.