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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 1999 | Volume
: 47
| Issue : 2 | Page : 145 |
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Appeal for books
Sanjiv Desai
Tarabai Desai Eye Hospital and Research Centre, E-22 Shastri Nagar, Jodhpur - 342 003, India
Correspondence Address:
Sanjiv Desai
Tarabai Desai Eye Hospital and Research Centre, E-22 Shastri Nagar, Jodhpur - 342 003
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
How to cite this article:
Desai S. Appeal for books. Indian J Ophthalmol 1999;47:145 |
Dear Editor:
I have been to Cambodia as a volunteer eye surgeon on two assignments in the recent past. Having worked both in the capital city of Phnom Penh and in rural Cambodia, I have become aware of the burden of blindness in the country. Cataract is the number one cause of blindness and accounts for about 60,000 cases. Cambodia has an annual surgical productivity of 1,300 cases, an annual incidence of 12,000 fresh cases and an ever-increasing backlog. Prolonged civil strife in the country has resulted in a depletion of its resources and lack of trained personnel, supplies and infrastructure. In a country of 10 million people there is only one qualified Khmer ophthalmologist and 30 cataract surgeons. The Prevention of Blindness Programme has just taken off in Cambodia and their prime concern is to train more doctors in ophthalmology.
The small hospital in Phnom Penh where I worked has been designated as the apex centre for Cambodia and will now start a training programme in ophthalmology. But they are handicapped due to lack of books and journals which can be used to train residents. I appeal to all fellow members of the All India Ophthalmological Society and others who read this letter to donate text books, reference books and journals (new or old but in good condition) for this library in Cambodia. These may be sent either to me or directly to Dr. Uch Yutho, National Coordinator, Prevention of Blindness Programme, Ang Doung Hospital, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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