China implements 'Bright Action' Cataract Surgery Project in Chad in 2018 (linked to Record ID#56021, #86658)

On September 28, 2018, the opening ceremony of the "Bright Action" Surgery Project ("Action la Lumiere" or 光明行) was held at the China-Chad Friendship Hospital and was attended by Chinese Ambassador Li Jinjin as well as Chadian Minister of Health Saleh, and a number of Chinese medical aid workers.

The project will be done under the guidance of the International Exchange and Cooperation Center of the National Health Commission, organized by the Jiangxi Provincial Health Commission, and have experts from the Affiliated Eye Hospital of Nanchang University.

This ophthalmological campaign, the cost of which is estimated at nearly 100,000,000 FCFA, is entirely financed by the Government of the People's Republic of China. Medical equipment worth 2 million RMB was donated to Chad during the ceremony (described in Record ID#56021). On October 15, 2018, the 2018 team returned to China after performing 233 surgeries.

As of October 31st, 2019, a total of 494 free cataract surgeries were completed through the project, with 9 cases of free complex ocular fundus disease and glaucoma surgery being carried out in 2019 alone.

The "Bright Action" project has had 2 phases so far, with the first phase starting in September 2018 and the second phase spanning from August 31st to September 9th, 2019 (Linked to Record ID#86658). Per the agreement, there will be more Bright Action Programs each year.