JEDDAH — The Ebsar Society for the Rehabilitation of the Visually Impaired expressed its thanks to Jeddah Health Affairs directorate for its support of the society. Mohammad Bello, the secretary-general of Ebsar, said the assistant deputy minister of health for hospitals affairs directed Jeddah Eye Hospital to consider the treatment of blind-threatening cases that were not included in the Ebsar program. He valued the ministry's support and its continued cooperation with Ebsar. He added that the preventable blindness program is one of Ebsar's rehabilitation programs. He called upon the unification of all efforts to enable Ebsar to execute its different programs. Ebsar service, he added, provides medicine and treatment. In addition, it also provides training courses and specialized workshops. He claimed that eye diseases of some form or the other threaten more than two thirds of the workforce in the government sector. He called for the awareness of the importance of caring for the eyes. Regular visits to the doctor, brochures and doctor's visits to schools are required. Additionally, it should be mandatory that medical insurance covers eye treatment. Ebsar has published a report indicating that it has treated 562 people during last Hijara year that ended on Nov. 14 at a cost of more than SR2.4 million. The Ministry of Social Affairs has contributed SR200,000 to the program. On the downside, Ebsar could not treat 31 people due to a shortage of financial resources. — SG
