In the Zagora province, an outpatient cataract surgery campaign will take place from 17 to 19 January.
This is one of the complementary initiatives that fall under the digital health programme of Connected Mobile Medical Units – Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity (UMMC – FMVS), launched in November 2023. The operation is mainly aimed at the inhabitants of Fezouata and Taghbalt, localities where patients with cataracts were identified during medical follow-ups carried out at the Tinfou El Berrania and Ait Mnad units.
Through this solidarity action, the Foundation will offer 150 ophthalmic surgical interventions, which will allow numerous patients the possibility of recovering their sight and improving their quality of life, the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity indicates in a statement.
Likewise, an intervention and follow-up device has been set up at the UMMC – FMVS of Tinfou El Berrania, 42 km from the city of Zagora, in compliance with health safety and quality standards, the same source underlines.
Said device includes the usual facilities of the UMMC – FMVS, but also includes reception areas and five medical units set up specifically for this operation, which in turn contain operating theatres, an ophthalmology consultation room, a biology unit, and a pharmacy, arranged according to the pre- and post-operative process of cataract surgery.
48 hours before the surgery, a first series of tests is carried out, in the form of analyses and ophthalmological consultations, with the aim of checking the health status of the diagnosed patients and the viability of the operation, the document notes before adding that to facilitate the movement of the population, local authorities provide transport from their Douars, which allows beneficiaries to access the device in the best conditions.
On the other hand, to ensure the quality of assistance and care, a team of 50 people has been mobilised, including doctors, social workers, and the Foundation's logistics staff, as well as volunteer specialists from the Moroccan Medical Solidarity Association (AMMS). In addition to anaesthetists, ophthalmologists, and ophthalmic surgeons, the AMMS has also placed two ophthalmic surgery units with four operating theatres at the service of the campaign.
The implementation of this solidarity campaign is based on close collaboration between the Foundation, local authorities, the Provincial Delegation of Health and Social Protection, and the AMMS. This organisation allows for optimal assistance to be provided to beneficiaries and ensures effective coordination on the ground.
In 2024, the Foundation carried out 4 cataract surgery campaigns in the provinces of Amizmiz, Chichaoua, Sefrou, and Boulemane, during which 398 operations and 833 ophthalmological consultations were performed.
Similarly, the Foundation provided its support for the provision of 3 multidisciplinary medical and cataract surgery units enabled by collaborating medical associations in the provinces of Tan-Tan, Tetouan, and Benslimane. These devices allowed for 136 surgical interventions, 320 ophthalmological consultations, and 2,606 multidisciplinary healthcare actions to be carried out.
The UMMC – FMVS programme aims to improve access to healthcare in remote rural areas through a local offer that combines general medicine and remote care in various specialities, the Foundation recalls.
These milestones demonstrate the Foundation's ongoing commitment to bringing healthcare closer to the most needy rural populations and thus improving their quality of life.
