Each year cataracts are diagnosed in 210,000 Indonesians, or 0.1 percent of the total population of 250 million. In an effort to lower blindness, the government continues to depend on its CSR partners. Minister of Health Nila F. Moeloek in a speech during the inauguration of the Blindness Assessment and Development Center in Bogor this past Sunday, June 21st, said, "Cataract is the main cause of blindness in this country. Each year, cataract surgeries cover only 80,000 patients while the ratio of ophthalmologists in Indonesia is 2 in 325 doctors. The number of cataract patient in Indonesia is still the highest in Southeast Asia. So far, the government has not prioritized cataract eradication since we are focused on lowering infant and mother mortality, a figure that still reaches 100,000 per year. The government appreciates companies who partner with us to cure cataract disease through social program and CSR programs. Furthermore, the country's eye specialists association, Indonesia Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (INASCRS), has continuously provided advanced training for ophthalmologists. The challenge remains cataract surgery technology development, hence continuous training is crucial.
Irwan Hidayat, President Director of PT Sido Muncul explains, "Our Company has provided gratis cataract surgery over the last five years, and by the end of 2015 we will have reached 50,000 patients." Setyo Budi Riyanto, Head of INASCRS adds, "Surgery equipment technology development is important. We are now training 27 ophthalmologists in the use of ultra sound equipment in eye surgery. This technique can be faster by 7 to 10 minutes and more importantly yields a faster recovery post surgery. After a week, eyes are back to normal. During our last cataract surgery campaign that took place in Ambon, Maluku, we operated on 120 patients in 10 hours."
