Our journey in the second eye camp takes place 631 kilometers in the southern part of Tanzania, in the council of Mkomaindo in Masasi, Mtwara received an invitation to assist with pressing eyesight medical matters. On April 24th, 2024, as we launched our eye camp, we were taken aback by the overwhelming turnout. The unexpected arrival of over 2000 individuals seeking treatment on the first day exceeded our initial projections, leaving us pleasantly surprised.
Day 01: 2,000 people awaiting
On our journey in Masasi, on the first day of the camp, we arrived at the Mkomaindo Council Hospital ready for action, and there were 2,000 people in our audience waiting for us. We commenced our process starting with registration, visual assessment, eye check, then eye drops and glasses but those with cataracts and other surgery-related issues were admitted for surgery, and upon their admission they were provided with food and beverages. Due to the high number of audience some of our patients were taken to day 02 to get treatment.
Day 02: The numbers kept rising, it was unreal
As day 02 commenced we started our morning with breakfast from the admitted patients, then we moved to post-op where we attended the patients that had surgery the previous day and we were happy that they regained their sight. After removing of bandages we administered eyedrops in the affected eye and gave them eye drop subscriptions and tissue with precise instructions on usage, we also gave them sunglasses to help protect their eye and released them awaiting our post-op. As we progressed through the day, the immense number of people was almost double the attendance and our team persevered through and attended to them.
Day 03: Masasi, we thank you for an amazing experience
We started the post-op on day three and as the day ended had we the following results for our eye camps screened 4,839 individuals, performed 365 surgeries, distributed 2,864 eye drops, and supplied 1,630 reading glasses.
Our impact went beyond treatment; we also shared valuable expertise with Mkomaindo Hospital staff, enhancing their abilities to address similar medical issues and enabling them to serve our community better. We will return within 2 weeks and a month respectively for post-op.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the Council Hospital of Mkomaindo, the LGAs, the Ministry of Health, and the dedicated medical and administrative teams whose collective efforts made this eye camp a resounding success for the people of Tanzania.