In a bid to reduce preventable blindness in the Central Region, the Ministry of Health has commissioned a Surgical Eye and Training Centre at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital.
The 33-bed facility, equipped with three modern operating theatres, is the first of its kind in the region and will serve as a referral hub for neighbouring regions. It will provide comprehensive services, including cataract and glaucoma management, refractive care and advanced posterior segment treatments, significantly reducing the burden on patients who previously had to travel long distances for specialised eye care.
Commissioning the Centre the Deputy Minister for Health, Prof. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, in her speech, noted that cataract remains the leading cause of preventable blindness in Ghana, with many patients unable to access timely surgery.
Prof. Ayensu-Danquah revealed that prior outreach programmes linked to the Centre have already screened over 90,000 people and successfully treated more than 9,000 eyes, underscoring the urgent need for expanded services and sustained investment in eye health.
The project, she said, has received critical support from partners, including USAID, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Cure Blindness Project, alongside government facilitation through tax waivers and exemptions on donated medical equipment.
Commissioning the facility on behalf of the Government of Ghana, the Deputy Minister described the Centre as a transformative step toward achieving Universal Health Coverage, aligning with the National Eye Health Policy and a renewed national commitment to ensuring that no Ghanaian lives with avoidable blindness.
