The Bali government has allocated Rp 2.8 billion (US$252,000) to provide 1,000 cataract patients with free operations next month, officials said.
Director of the Bali Indera Eye Hospital Pande Nyoman Srijoni said the free operations would be given in conjunction with a government funded medical treatment program in 500 villages throughout Bali. "We will encourage cataract patients coming in for free treatment to have the eye operation with the help of the two eye-operation vans we received from Australia," he said on Monday.
The free eye-operations will be given mostly to people in Karangasem, Buleleng and Klungkung -- three of Bali's poorest regencies. "The patients will be from mostly low-income families that live far from any health facility," Srijoni said.
The program will receive further help from the Committee for Retinal Disorder and Blindness.
"We receive a lot of help from experts and eye doctors. This is to increase the quality of our service," Srijoni said.
Cataracts occur when clouding develops in the crystalline lens or envelope of the eye. They are easy to cure, but often at a cost too high for suffers.
It is often seen in the elderly, people with diabetes and those who have suffered eye injuries. They can also occur in people with a history of long-term steroid use and even those who have had prolonged exposure to sunlight without eye protection.
Srijoni said there are 27,300 people with cataracts in Bali, most of who are over 50 years old.
He added that cataract patients grow by 0.1 percent in Bali every year.
"The high number of cases is caused by Bali's natural condition, where people are often exposed to direct sunlight for long-periods of time," he said.
In a separate interview, Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said he hoped the cataract operation could alleviate the public's burden.
He further reminded those operating to give the best treatment possible to the public. don't want them to think that just becausefree thatokay to give them *just enough' treatment," he said.
"Remember that this is not free. Maybe they're not paying for the tools but the government is."
