Reverse Linkage

90 REVERSE LINKAGE cataracts are one of the most widely-spread eye diseases in these countries, coupled with a lack of local ophthalmologist surgeons. From 2012 to 2016, the campaign ran successfully in several African countries, including Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Benin, Guinea, Cameroon, Niger, Mali, Libya, Ivory Coast and Mozambique. Under the AIDA initiative, Azerbaijani ophthalmologists from the National Eye Centre, named after academician Zarifa Aliyeva, participated in the campaign by sharing knowledge and experience with their colleagues from aid receiving countries. The centre has been operating for more than 70 years and providing the Azerbaijani population with high level medical services. The ophthalmologists of this and other leading ophthalmologi- cal centres in Azerbaijan are ready to contribute to future campaigns and to assist IsDB member countries in increas- ing capacity of their medical specialists. During the first phase of the campaign, more than 300,000 people undertook eye examinations and more than 56,000 patients, who have partially or fully lost their eyesight, regained their vision as a consequence of cataract surgeries carried out free of charge. Not only did the Alliance to Fight Avoidable Blindness campaign bring light to the lives of these people, but they also gained the opportunity of involvement in labour activity and the chance to earn their livelihood. In addition, 177 local doctors benefited from professional training organized during the action. The capacity build- ing part of the campaign both addressed urgent needs and facilitated the sustainable provision of necessary medical services by local specialists in the long term. This is a signifi- cant advantage of the campaign, as achieving sustainable results and finding enduring solutions for existing problems is more important than short term accomplishments. In continuation of Azerbaijan’s persistent support and strong commitment to the Alliance to Fight Avoidable Blindness campaign, the main partners, AIDA, IsDB, the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD), the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (Turkey), and promi- nent non-governmental organizations specialized in ophthalmology – Nadi Al-Basar (Tunisia), the Prevention of Blindness Union (Saudi Arabia) and the national coordina- tors of campaign countries – met in Baku in May 2016. The main purpose of the meeting was to review the outcomes of the campaign held during the period of 2009–2015, discuss the forthcoming objectives and prospects for enlarging cooperation, as well as elaborate on the suggestions made during the initial meeting held in January 2016 in Rabat, Morocco, as a preparation for the campaign’s second phase. Given the positive impact of the campaign thus far, the core activities of the second phase were approved for roll out over the next five years. Participants visited the National Eye Centre and representatives of IsDB visited the Central Clinical Hospital, the Azerbaijani Service and Assessment Network (ASAN) Public Service Centre and the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University to discuss the possibility of cooperation with the support of AIDA. In order to expand the spheres of cooperation between IsDB and Azerbaijan, a delegation, led by the director of the AIDA, participated at a meeting for Scaling up and Enhancing Partnership for Sustainable Results among IsDB member countries, held in December 2016 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The main objective included strengthening information exchange and encouraging cooperation among IsDBmember Alliance to Fight Avoidable Blindness campaign, Burkina Faso, 2015 Alliance to Fight Avoidable Blindness campaign, Ivory Coast, 2015 Image: ASAN Image: ASAN