Placed under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and under the effective Presidency of His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, the Marrakech Festival organised, from 22 to 27 September in Dakhla, the first stage of the 2014 cataract surgery campaign. This operation, conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Hassan II Ophthalmology Foundation, is supported by the Moroccan actor Mohamed Khouyi, to whom the Marrakech Festival had paid a vibrant tribute during its thirteenth edition in 2013.

The 2014 campaign thus strengthens the “social commitment” capital of the Festival, by allowing hundreds of underprivileged visually impaired people to regain their sight and have a better life. Supervised by a medical team composed of 17 specialised practitioners, members of the Hassan II Ophthalmology Foundation, and supported by the medical staff of the Hassan II Hospital in Dakhla, the campaign was punctuated by a few hundred consultations, mobilising more than 50 hours devoted to surgical operations from which the candidates for the dedicated medical and surgical treatment benefited. Sponsored annually by talents from various backgrounds, the cataract surgery campaign was supported this year by the Moroccan actor Mohamed Khouyi. Previously, it had benefited from the solemn support of renowned artists: Hélène de Fougerolles, Youssra, Marie Gillain, Sridevi, Saïd Naciri, Rachid El Ouali, Aziz Dades, Asmae Khamlichi, Khadija Assad, and Aziz Saadallah. The humanitarian cataract surgery action, initiated within the framework of the Marrakech Festival, is a remarkable cultural moment. It aims to promote access to cinema for all, particularly in areas and regions lacking cinemas and cultural centres in general. Indeed, the annual cataract surgery campaign is accompanied by a cinematographic caravan that travels across the national territory, notably the remote regions of the Kingdom that are not equipped with cinemas. This caravan, set up by the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre (CCM), offers local populations the opportunity to live to the rhythm of Moroccan filmography, while learning from awareness-raising documentaries against blinding diseases. The cinematographic caravans enjoy exceptional popularity and are highly anticipated by the target populations.

Conducted since 2009, the free cataract surgery campaigns have taken care of a total of 2,550 cataract operations and 35,000 people in specialised local ophthalmology consultations. In addition to the respective medical staffs of the host hospitals, these campaigns have mobilised nearly 80 doctors and specialised medical personnel, for a total of 800 hours devoted to surgical operations. Note that since 2012, pairs of optical glasses have been offered to patients. The cataract surgery campaigns have so far concerned the regions of Marrakech (2009-2010), Marrakech, Rabat, and Tiflet (2011), Marrakech, Tata, and Guelmim (2012), Demnate and Tahanaout (2013). They were preceded by pre-campaigns for screening in local hospitals and health centres. The second stage of the 2014 campaign will be organised in Tahanaout.

Hassan II Ophthalmology Foundation

An institution recognised as being of public utility, the Hassan II Ophthalmology Foundation (FHO) carries out eye health care actions in the form of medical or surgical ophthalmology campaigns, training activities for the benefit of health professionals, and education and awareness-raising operations on means of preventing eye diseases. It also organises workshops on subjects of scientific interest and participates in scientific research in the field of ophthalmology. The Foundation sets itself the objective of developing and implementing all means of fighting against the various causes of blindness, initiating and contributing to the realisation of the programme of medical-surgical prevention and treatment against blindness, contributing to epidemiological studies on the causes of reversible or non-reversible visual impairment and vision loss, contributing to the information, awareness-raising, and education of the population on the different risks of blindness and on the means of their prevention and treatment, contributing to the continuous training of health personnel, as well as conducting scientific and medical research.