Sharing love, light with QC eye patients

The Quezon City Ladies Foundation (QCLF) and Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines (TCMFP) have joined hands to help poor city residents with eye problems get free medical services, including surgery.

QCLF, which focuses on empowerment, community support and charitable initiatives, and TCMFP, which provides free eye surgeries through its Tzu Chi Eye Center where volunteer doctors work, signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to treat QC eye patients without charge. In the partnership, QCLF will shoulder the cost of pre-surgery laboratory tests and medical clearances of patients while volunteer surgeons of TCEC will perform the operations.

QCLF president Joy Sotto, wife of Quezon City Vice Mayor Gian Sotto, thanked TCMFP for helping the city serve its poor constituents.

“We have never met any Foundation that could address eye issues, not just cataracts. They can address glaucoma, retinal detachment and all kinds of eye problems and we are just so grateful that we were able to give Quezon City constituents this kind of blessing,” Sotto said after the signing of the MoA.

Dr. Say said he is hopeful of the collaboration bringing even more life-changing medical services to the local community.

A total 439 residents were the initial beneficiary of the TCMFP and QCLF, which brought them to the TCEC by bus, vans and ambulances early in the morning of 27 February. They underwent visual acuity and diagnostic tests before being interviewed by ophthalmologists. After the screening, 120 of the patients were scheduled for surgery while the rests were prescribed with eye drop medicines and reading glasses.

Among the patients was 49-year-old street sweeper Emelinda Acosta, whose one eye could barely see anymore because of cataracts. She complained on headache and blurred vision, but was thankful of the Tzu Chi and QCLF charity project for them.

Another grateful patient that day was Mark Angelo Sideco, who is seeking treatment for his cataract so he can take care his wife battling ovarian cancer.

“Restoring my sight is urgent so I can give her the care she needs right now,” he tells TCMFP.

Leonila Bingco, who is already blind in one eye and the other affected by cataract, was happy to be scheduled for an operation.

Meanwhile, a former patient remains grateful to TCMFP for its cataract surgery and laser procedure that restored his vision two years ago. Jimmy Ang gave back to the humanitarian organization by bringing and serving porridge for the TCEC patients and volunteers.