MONTEGO BAY, St James — Thirty-three patients successfully underwent cataract surgeries conducted by five members of the overseas voluntary group, iCare, which partnered with personnel at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH) at that institution last week.

Meanwhile, the majority of the iCare team delivered care to 1,380 people at the iCare Clinic in Mafoota. That brings to 3,120 the number of people seen in Jamaica by the overseas group this year. So far over 18,000 individuals have been impacted by the programme since its launch six years ago.

A programme of Great Shape! Inc, iCare has, for the sixth consecutive year, enlisted the support of ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians, optical technicians, nurses and non-eye care professional volunteers from the United States and Canada to participate in the weeklong clinic, made possible through partnerships with the Sandals Foundation, VOSH International, Lions Clubs, SEE International, Alcon, and Seaboard Marine.

Consultant Ophthalmologist at Cornwall Regional, Dr Claudine Green-Hemmings was full of praises for members of the iCare group which worked alongside her team at CRH last week.

“It has been great. They are great guys. They work so hard. They don’t stop working. They are willing and they really do respect and take care of our Jamaican people, and Jamaicans appreciate them a lot. So we are happy that they are here and they are able to give some of their time to us here in Jamaica. It’s not easy to leave the comfort of their country and come here to work and they chose to do it and they do it with a lot of energy,” stated an appreciative Dr Green-Hemmings.

She outlined that normally the CRH conducts between six to eight cataract surgeries over the two days reserved for the operations each week.

But with the visit of the iCare team, the number of surgeries has significantly increased to 40. The number of surgery days has increased from two to four as well.

This, she said, augurs well for trimming down the one-year waiting list of persons in need of cataract surgery.

“Our waiting list for cataract surgery here at the Cornwall Regional Hospital is over a year. When these doctors come to visit us, what they can do for us is, they can help us to whittle down our waiting list for cataract surgery,” the consultant ophthalmologist explained.

Meanwhile, according to Steven Stern, iCARE Programme Director, since the inception of the iCARE Programme, the team has dreamt of performing cataract surgeries to help alleviate the over one-year backlog for

this procedure through the Jamaican public health system.

“This year that dream becomes a reality, allowing us to perform this critical operation that is valued at over US$2,000 free of cost. We are grateful for our many partners that have brought us to this point and especially to Sandals Foundation for their substantial support of this programme,” said Stern.

Meanwhile, Heidi Clarke, Sandals Foundation Director of Programmes, said: “The Sandals Foundation is proud to partner with Great Shape! Inc. again this year for the 2014 iCare programme. The Sandals Foundation stands firm by its belief that proper healthcare should be accessible to all. The gift of vision is priceless and we are grateful to the many volunteers who come to Jamaica each year to improve the lives of so many people.”