Sea Coach offers free eye treatment to 500

By Bampia Bundu

The Managing Director of Sea Coach Express Limited, Mr. Olusegun Jaji, has disclosed in Freetown that his company would sponsor eye treatment for over 500 Sierra Leoneans by the end of this month.

Addressing newsmen at his Murray Town Road office in Freetown yesterday, he said he visited the UMC Eye Clinic in Kissy sometime in January this year to undertake eye examination and was shocked to see dozens of Sierra Leoneans in the hospital suffering from curable eye infections and diseases.

“While having a discussion with the Doctor, I learnt that the sum involved in curing the eye problems of several people was very meager, but that several people go blind because they could not afford the money,” he said, adding that the Doctor showed him an example of somebody who was healed of his blindness for less than two hundred thousand Leones (Le200, 000. 00).

He said he was moved with compassion, and immediately made payment for the treatment of 33 people who had gone for eye treatment on that day.

“I later received letters of appreciation with photographs of blind people who had successfully gone through the treatment and subsequently gained their eye sights,” Mr. Jaji said, adding that he was then inspired to pay the treatment bills for more blind people.

“This is why my institution has decided to do it again, this time round, in a more coordinated manner as part of my company’s corporate social responsibilities,” he said.

Mr. Jaji further disclosed that they would be paying for 500 people to have their sights checked, examined, treated and where necessary, for surgery and optical services.

He said the services would be in two phases, with the first phase taking place in Freetown and the second in Mahera, Lungi.

He revealed that in Freetown, people could access the treatment at the Sea Coach Express Murray Town offices on the 21^st and 22^nd of this month, while on 23^rd the services could be accessed at Sea Coach Express Aberdeen Bridge Terminal, and the Mahera service would be offered on the 25^th, 26^th and 27^th June, 2012 at the Mahera Beach Hotel, Sea Coach Express Terminal.

Meanwhile, Mr. Jaji said all Sierra Leoneans with eye problems who could not afford the cost of medical services were encouraged to go for the free eye examination and treatment.