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KABUL: Hundreds of the most vulnerable Afghan patients are set to receive free eye treatment, including surgery, in Kabul this week under a medical intervention program funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.

The program is organized by the Afghan Red Crescent Society at the ARCS Central Hospital in Kabul from Aug. 24 to 28.

It is funded by KSrelief and Al-Basar International Foundation, a Saudi-based nongovernmental organization providing eye healthcare and visual rehabilitation to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities around the world.

“The five-day campaign will provide treatment and surgery services for 400 patients and screening services for around 4,000 others. Patients receive screening services, medicine, glasses and surgery free of charge,” Dr. Abdul Wali Utmanza, director of the ARCS Central Hospital, told Arab News. “Soon, an additional 400 patients in Nangarhar and 400 more in Kandahar will also undergo eye surgery.”

Al-Basar Foundation has been treating eye patients in Afghanistan with KSrelief support since 2023.

“Since then, thousands of patients have received care, and we remain committed to expanding these vital services even further,” said Rizwan Baloch, the foundation’s representative. “These services are crucial for restoring vision, improving lives, and reaching those without access to proper eye care.”

Of Afghanistan’s 43 million population, more than 400,000 are blind, according to the World Health Organization.

Dr. Shamsulhaq Salim, ophthalmologist from Herat, estimates that another 2 million are visually impaired and many of them can lose sight due to cataracts.

“Cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness in Afghanistan, yet a simple surgery can completely restore vision. However, a severe shortage of eye specialists and relevant modern facilities are major barriers,” he told Arab News.

“Afghanistan has an estimated 150 to 200 eye specialists nationwide, most of whom are based in major cities and provincial centers.”

There are only nine public eye hospitals in the country and a handful of private clinics.

For Mir Hamidullah, who arrived for treatment in Kabul from Surobi district, some 100 km away, the Saudi initiative offered a rare chance to restore his vision.

“I wouldn’t have been able to go to a private hospital to treat my eyes. That’s why I and so many others are here today, receiving free eye care,” he said.

“I sincerely hope other international organizations also step forward to support the Afghan people and recognize the difficult conditions we are living in.”

LONDON: The UK will allow around 40 students to travel from Gaza to attend British universities, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

The plan will see the students awarded scholarships, with nine receiving government-backed Chevening scheme funding for one-year master’s degrees, and the rest securing funds from private programs.

The students will be allowed to leave Gaza once they receive permission to travel from Israeli authorities.

They will become the first to leave the Palestinian enclave to study in the UK since the outbreak of the war in October 2023.

However, relations between the UK and Israel have become frosty since Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to potentially recognize a Palestinian state earlier this year. 

The students will need to travel to a third country in order to complete biometric visa applications before being allowed to head to the UK.

Britain will join other European nations — including France, Italy and Ireland — in approving evacuation routes for students with places to study at universities in each country.

A UK Home Office source told the BBC that the plan for the students is “complex and challenging.”

Several of the students told the corporation that they fear for their safety in Gaza while awaiting approval to travel.

British politicians have campaigned for months to allow around 80 Gazan students with offers from universities to study in the UK. It is unclear if the remaining students with places to study will be able to attend their courses.

There is also a movement to allow critically ill Gazan children to head to the UK for vital medical treatment.

Israel has killed at least 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023.