Feature: Chinese medical team helps Ghanaian patients restore sight

A Chinese doctor (1st R) from the Chinese medical team in Ghana checks a Ghanaian patient's eyes in LEKMA Hospital in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on Feb. 13, 2023. The Chinese medical team stationed at the LEKMA Hospital in Accra has offered free surgeries since last November to restore the vision of Ghanaians suffering from cataracts.(Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

ACCRA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Elizabeth Dzokpe is a retired nurse from Kpando in the Volta Region of Ghana. She regained her vision this week thanks to the Chinese medical team in Ghana.

"I could not see well in the right eye, and sometimes, after taking a few steps, it felt like I was about to fall. I came to the hospital and was diagnosed with cataract," she told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Cataract is a common cause of visual impairment. To restore sight, patients need to undergo surgeries, which are cost-involving, preventing low-income Ghanaians with cataracts from accessing treatment to restore their vision.

The Chinese medical team stationed at the LEKMA Hospital in Accra, the capital of Ghana, has offered free surgeries since last November to restore the vision of Ghanaians suffering from cataracts.

Dzokpe became one of the beneficiaries and has her vision regained after the free surgery on Monday.

Cheng Zhixing, an ophthalmologist and member of the Chinese medical team, led his Ghanaian counterparts to perform phacoemulsification cataract surgeries to restore the sight of cataract patients.

According to the medical team, more than ten cataract patients have regained sight due to the team's help since last November.

Senam Aidam, head of the Ophthalmology Unit of LEKMA Hospital, lauded the Chinese medical team for the great work they have been doing at the hospital.

"I have been working with Doctor Cheng, and he has been helping me. I do the old type of surgery, which is manual small incision cataract surgery, but he has been assisting me with the phacoemulsification surgery," she said. "We work together with the nurses, and it is teamwork, so it's been going on very well."

A Chinese doctor (R) from the Chinese medical team in Ghana operates a surgery on a Ghanaian patient suffering from cataract in LEKMA Hospital in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on Feb. 13, 2023. The Chinese medical team stationed at the LEKMA Hospital in Accra has offered free surgeries since last November to restore the vision of Ghanaians suffering from cataracts.(Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

A Chinese doctor (R) from the Chinese medical team in Ghana checks a Ghanaian patient's eyes in LEKMA Hospital in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on Feb. 13, 2023. The Chinese medical team stationed at the LEKMA Hospital in Accra has offered free surgeries since last November to restore the vision of Ghanaians suffering from cataracts.(Photo by Seth/Xinhua)