Chinese Foundation for Lifeline Express released a plan that Chinese medial teams will be helping 500 cataract Pakistan patients this year.
Nellie Fong, who started the said foundation stated that the medical aid is expected to help increase quality of life to people among the countries in the Belt and Road Initiative. It can be recalled that last year, 9 physicians from China were sent to Sri Lanka in order to perform 500 free surgeries to patients.
"Sri Lanka was our first pilot project overseas. We wanted to help patients not only in China, but also along the Belt and Road routes," Fong said, referring to the initiative based on the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
"The patients were from the poorest place in Kalutara district in western Sri Lanka. Power supplies were unstable, and once we completed a surgical procedure despite losing electricity eight times," according to one of the doctors, Zhao Chan.
Moreover, there are seven permanent cataract medical centers which will be added to the 69 centers in China which offers long-term medical assistance to patients in poor areas.
Fong also encourages China to create a system to detect early diabetic retinopathy which can help save people from losing their sense of sight.
