Iten County Referral Hospital (ICRH) has commissioned an eye theatre, a move set to revolutionize access to eye care in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
The facility was established courtesy of “Operation Eyesight” donors in partnership with the county government and the Ophthalmic Services Unit at the Ministry of Health.
The newly established operation theatre will provide the much-needed space and equipment required to offer sight-restoration surgery to patients. This development is a welcome relief to the people of Elgeyo Marakwet, who previously had to travel to Kijabe Mission Hospital and Sabatia in Western Kenya, incurring huge expenses.
During the commissioning of the Eye Unit operation theatre, Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Mr. Wisely Rotich noted that eye patients from humble backgrounds had been suffering due to a lack of treatment. He decried the fact that only retired teachers and some working-class retirees had access to spectacles in the villages.
However, the governor declared that going forward, Operation Eye sight was a reality at the Iten Referral Hospital. He assured everyone in Elgeyo Marakwet with eye problems that they would be attended to, diagnosed, and supplied with glasses free of charge.
Ms. Magrine Kiplimo, a beneficiary from Kipsoen health centre, gave her testimony following her sight restoration, thanking God that she could now see.
This sentiment was echoed by Mr. Kashinath Bhoosnurmath, the organization’s Chief Executive Officer, who expressed his satisfaction with the beneficiary testimonies.
“Healthy eyes and vision care change lives,” said Operation Eyesight’s Country Director for Kenya, Alice Mwangi, reiterated this fact.
She said that the organization was bringing quality eye health care to people’s front doors, and the new operation theatre built on the success of other eye services recently added to the community.
Operation Eyesight is a Canadian-based international development organization working to prevent blindness and restore sight in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
With the establishment of the Eye Unit operation theatre at the Iten County Referral Hospital, the organization is set to make a significant impact in the lives of the people of Elgeyo Marakwet County.
By Rennish Okong’o
