Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has reiterated the government’s commitment to utilize all available resources and play its due role in fighting blindness and visual impairments.

“While observing the World Sight Day, we must resolve to fight this menace with all available resources and the government of Pakistan is committed on its part”, Gilani said in his message on the World Sight Day observed every year on October 13.

He said with the health ministry devolved to the provinces, it is important that both provincial and district governments expand their capacity to cater to large number of patients on this count.

“There is a need to focus on medical research and impart training to the medical practitioners to come up to the expectations of the people”, he added.
The Prime Minister said the observance of World Sight Day around the globe draws our attention to the need of raising awareness about the issues of blindness and visual impairments.
“It also highlights the importance of rehabilitating the visually impaired through concerted efforts,” he added.

The Prime Minister said, “with the world population aging, visual impairments have been spreading very fast especially among the old. It is regrettable that 1.8 million people are blind in the country.”

“The day calls for collaboration of the public and private sector organizations to join hands to control the incidence of blindness. This is in this context that “Vision 2020: The Right to Sight”, a joint initiative of the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness is of critical importance in shaping our response to the challenge of visual impairments,” he added.
Gilani said media has a critical role to play in raising awareness among the people in this regard, adding, “a timely diagnosis and cure of visual ailments restore the sight.”