力行植林慈善基金會

Reflection on “Helping the Poverty to have Cataract Surgery” Screening Service Trip to Yangshan County with Green Action (Bobby Leung)

As a high school student living in the metropolis city of Hong Kong, my view of the world (particularly of the rural areas) has been very narrow and limited. This summer, I was so fortunate for being able to participate in a volunteer work supported by the Green Action Charity Foundation for identifying impoverished candidates for cataract surgery in the Yangshan County.

The trip to Yangshan County was an eventful, enlightening and eye-opening experience. I worked along with a team of volunteers and doctors to visit six different towns to give free cataract diagnosis for the locals. Those that were diagnosed with severe cataract would be given free surgery to treat their condition. It was not an everyday opportunity to reach out to help the underprivileged. In the towns we worked, patients that came to our sites dressed very poorly. It was obvious that they lacked the money to buy the very basic human necessities. On top of that, the buildings and facilities that we were given to work with were actually quite primitive. As the patients were lacking the good vision to walk safely, I was on call to escort them around to ensure they didn’t injure themselves. Despite of their sight defects, it was shocking to know that some had walked hours to our sites (under the heat) in order to get their diagnosis. To put things into perspective, seeing how desperate the patients were to seek free medication really highlighted the issue of lack of accessible and affordable healthcare in their home county. I still remember there being a patient who tried to deceive his doctor in an attempt to be diagnosed with severe cataract so that he could be selected for surgery when quota was limited. At first, it might sound unethical for the patient to lie and deceive the doctor, but with hindsight, this example only showed how desperate the underprivileged patients were for getting access to medical treatment, longing to see the world with a clear vision.

I remember watching a video from Ted-Ed on cataracts, “A curable condition that causes blindness”, thinking to myself that cataract was only a minor condition as it could be cured. However, after witnessing hundreds of elders who got diagnosed with cataract, and knowing that they’d been living with such condition for years due to their low income, I realized how oblivious my previous mindset was. Although modern advance research and technology are able to treat many illnesses, it does not equate to the truth that those in need of it can have access to it. And if those in need do not have access to it, whatever breakthroughs in medical science or treatments can be meaningless.All in all, it was a very rewarding experience which gave me valuable insights into the social and economic issues that existed in our world but were often concealed from us. I am grateful to work with a dedicated team of caring volunteers and doctors and be a part of the patients’ life changing moment. I should thank not only Mrs Chia and Miss Tang for organizing this event but also Green Action Charity Foundation and United Italian Corp. (HK) Ltd for funding the treatment for the underprivileged who desperately need it.

Bobby LEUNG

(RCHK Year 13 Student)