World Health Organization to discuss Saudi proposal on combating blindness

Riyadh, August 29, SPA--The Executive Board of World Health
Organization (WHO) will discuss in January 2009 a draft proposal from
Saudi Arabia on the development of a detailed action plan to combat
blindness at the international level.

The Minister of Health Dr. Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Manie said that the
World Health Organization is currently writing the draft proposal for
submission to that discussion in preparation for its endorsement in
the 61st meeting of the Organization's General Assembly.

He reviewed the efforts of Saudi Arabia at national and international
levels in combating blindness which are considered as the best means
of prevention and health care in this area qualifying the Kingdom for
the first time to win two international prizes this year in the fight
against blindness by the International Agency for Prevention of
Blindness. The prizes are for Global Partnership for Prevention of
Blindness and the Regional Achievement.

At the national level, the Minister of Health said that the ministry
provides services in the field of ophthalmology for more than two
million patients annually through hospitals and health centers and
performs more than 28,000 eye surgeries.

At the international level, in addition to the proposal, the Kingdom
played a distinguished role in putting forward the prominent
initiative (Vision 2020, The Right to Sight) to the general assembly
of the WHO and then its endorsement in 2002, Dr. Al-Manie said.