The Can Tho Hospital of Eye-Odontostomatolgy has provided free surgery for 80 children with harelip and cleft palate in Mekong Delta provinces and cities.The nine-day programme, which concluded on March 21, was implemented in coordination with the Association for Poor Patients of Can Tho City and a delegation of doctors from Germany’s Interplast organisation.All the surgery costs were covered by Interplast.This is the fourth year the Can Tho Hospital of Eye-Odontostomatolgy has coordinated with the Interplast doctors in providing free check-ups and surgery for poor patients with harelip and cleft palate in the Mekong Delta.Some 3,000 cases of newborns with harelip or cleft palate are reported in Vietnam each year.Also in March, Luc Yen district of northern Yen Bai province has provided 800 million VND to conduct eye surgery for 158 local patients.At present, Yen Bai province has over 7,000 cataract-related blind people, including 800 in Luc Yen district. The provincial medical sector is striving to provide surgery for some 900 patients in 2012.In central Ninh Thuan province, nearly 250 local poor blind people have also received free check-ups and surgery over the past month.-VNA
Vietnam successfully eliminates trachoma: WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed on October 21 that Vietnam has eliminated trachoma, a contagious, bacterial disease that may eventually lead to blindness.
