8 September 2010 - Hasan Abdul Naser is 4 ½ years old, and next year he will go to kindergarten. He is one
of ten thousand Palestinian children under 12 years
old who receive eye care through the USAID-funded Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development Project (the Flagship Project). Hasan’s case was discovered through an early detection program provided by the mobile outreach clinic from St. John’s Eye Hospital which conducted eye examinations in his hometown of Tubas, on the outskirts of Jenin in the northern West Bank. Hasan was diagnosed with a squint and lazy eye, and he was gradually losing his eyesight.
Hasan’s treatment consists of covering the good eye for several hours each day to stimulate the lazy eye to jump into action. Basic detection and patching treatment, the type offered to Hasan, would have been too expensive to his parents. Hasan could have easily sank into poverty given that many jobs are not available to people with impaired eyesight. In a society where 56% of disabilities consist of visual impairments, he could have joined a large group of people who suffer social stigmatization.
Hasan’s vision was less than 20/200 when the problem was detected, which means he could not see the largest object on a chart two meters away. Now his bad eye is nearly normal, and his vision is 20/32.
St. John’s Eye Hospital is one of the NGOs that received a grant from USAID’s Flagship Project to provide patients in the West Bank with improved access to health services within their communities. The $90,000 grant allowed the hospital to hire two ophthalmic doctors and four orthoptic assistants who can deal with eye misalignment, squints, and other special eye problems. The grant also helped cover operational costs and create awareness-raising brochures and publications.
The Flagship Project was established to strengthen the institutional capacities and performance of the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health, selected non-governmental organizations, and educational institutions. The project aims to create a more functional Palestinian health sector capable of meeting the priority public health needs of the Palestinian people.
The Flagship Project focuses on improving the health status of Palestinians in priority areas, including mother and child health, chronic diseases, injury prevention, safe hygiene, and water use, and breast cancer screening for women. In particular, the Flagship Project strengthens the capacity of institutions and communities to promote healthier behaviors and provide effective outreach services. To a child such as Hassan, the Flagship’s intervention has far-reaching consequences on his physical abilities and economic well-being in the long run. |
