A free cataract surgery campaign is set to treat up to 800 patients from Saturday, October 31 to Friday, November 13, 2026, at the Treichville University Hospital Center in Abidjan, the organizers announced on Friday.
The interventions will be fully covered by the operation’s partners. The organizers specify that no payment should be made to access care, particularly via electronic transfer, and warn against attempted fraud.
The initiative brings together the Group of Spouses of Heads of Diplomatic Missions accredited in Côte d’Ivoire, the NGO Al Bassar, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, the Ivorian Ministry of Health, and the Embassy of Saudi Arabia.
The campaign targets individuals affected by cataracts, a condition that progressively impairs vision and can lead to blindness if left untreated. The statement sent to the Ivorian Press Agency does not specify the registration procedures for beneficiaries.
This operation realizes an announcement made in September in Abidjan during the National Day of Saudi Arabia. The partners had then planned more than 5,000 ophthalmological examinations and approximately 800 cataract surgeries.
A similar campaign had already been organized at the Treichville University Hospital in November 2024. It resulted in 8,000 free consultations and 820 surgical procedures, according to a report published by the Ivorian Press Agency.
The organizers of the new campaign ask patients to rely solely on official materials and not to give money to anyone claiming to facilitate their access to the procedures.
