"I fully support it because people with cataracts who undergo the operation are able to regain their eyesight," the vice president said at Gatot Subroto military hospital here on Friday.
Cataract operations being performed at Gatot Subroto hospital on Friday were part of a civic mission, organized by the Indonesian Ophthalmologists Association in cooperation with PT Sidomuncul.
The vice president noted that assistance for cataract operations began being offered several years ago because there were so many people who did not have money to pay for the operation.
"Now the target to operate on 12,000 cataract patients has been reached and, therefore, we hope it will be increased in the future with the support from the Ministry of Health and private parties," Boediono said.
He noted that support for cataract operations also comes from the National Defense Forces (TNI) and mass organizations.
"I hope support can also come from the regional level, in order to increase the number of cataract patients who can be operated on," Boediono noted.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Nafsiah Mboy said Indonesia still lacked eye doctors, both at the central and regional levels.
"There are now around 1,100 eye doctors, but 54 percent of them are in Java, and therefore the number must be spread evenly to the regions," the health minister noted.
According to PT Sidomuncul President Director Irwan Hidayat, 12,000 cataract patients were operated on in 2012. On Friday, 5 patients were operated on at Gatot Subroto hospital and 43 others at Cikampek hospital in West Java.
"From 2011 until the end of 2012, the Indonesian Ophthalmologists Association and PT Sidomuncul have operated on 18,068 patients," Irwan noted.
He said the cataract operation civic mission, organized by PT Sidomuncul and the Indonesian Ophthalmologists Association, has been held in 25 provinces and 105 cities through 149 hospitals since 2011.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
