The University Hospital of Kamenge (CHUK) with support from the National Burundi child eye health system establishment program supported by the South Korean project, opened Wednesday, October 29, 2014 a tertiary eye care center for children. The beneficiaries of the center's services will be children under the age of fifteen.
The head of the ophthalmology department at CHUK, Dr. Levi Kandeke reported that the tertiary eye care center child brings something new. So far in Burundi, children who had problems with blindness were not treated because the doctors did not have the appropriate equipment and infrastructure. In addition, Burundi had no financial means to follow children after treatment.

 

 

Dr. Kandeke said the center has estimated that children under fifteen years old are entitled to free treatment. This discount will be supported by Heart to Heart Foundation(Korean NGO) and KOICA(Korea International Cooperation Agency) and will CHUK available human resources and infrastructure. He added that the center will work with the Community of Emmanuel Churches in Burundi. It has trained its agents all over the country. They go to households to detect children with blindness. They also educate the entire population to speak for these children. After being found, they take children to CHUK and the center provides for the care and the accommodation during the stay of treatment. After treatment, the CEEM is responsible for bringing them home.
He further mentioned that the center will treat all preventable diseases that cause child blindness. In developing countries, 80% of diseases that make the blind children can be treated or prevented. Dr. Kandeke finally appealed to parents who have children under fifteen years old suffering from blindness to bring them to CHUK for free treatment.