The fourth cohort of the Laos project was recently completed successfully, with the Guangxi medical team completing a total of 478 surgeries. So far, GX has performed 2,312 cases of free cataract surgeries in the country.

In July, Chairman CY Leung led the team to visit Luang Prabang. After the visit, it was decided that the project site would be relocated from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. It is estimated that the relocation will be completed in 2 months. The 5th cohort of the medical team will carry out surgeries in Luang Prabang.

The third cohort of the Guangxi medical team to Cambodia started operations at the end of July this year. The cohort was concluded successfully few days ago and the result was very encouraging. The medical team has completed 826 cases of free cataract surgeries so far.

GX Foundation is grateful to the medical team for their dedication in bringing hopes and brightness to the Cambodian patients. So far, GX has completed 1627 cases of free cataract surgery in the country.

In September 2022, GX Foundation launched “The Cataract Blindness Elimination Project” in Laos, Cambodia, and Djibouti, having completed over 4,100 cataract surgeries free-of-charge since. Recently, 3 interns and GX CEO Professor Emily Chan Ying Yang visited the project site in Prey Veng Province, Cambodia, travelling to the village to visit recovering patients. Professor Emily Chan is grateful for the support and dedication from the Guangxi medical team while GX Foundation has successfully completed over 1,600 surgeries in Cambodia so far without any postoperative complications. All patients are making satisfactory progress in recovery.

Oxbridge students visited Cambodia for an unprecedented internship to exchange medical skills and knowledge

Since 2019, over 50 Hong Kong university students have trained under GX’s “Field Experiential Learning Programme”. The programme was extended to overseas universities in early-September 2023. 3 interns from University of Oxford, Cambridge University and the University of Hong Kong were sent to Prey Veng Province, Cambodia to receive hands-on training in fieldwork experience. During their internship, they were responsible for triaging patients, conducting preoperative questionnaires, and visiting patients’ homes. Through various tasks, the interns developed knowledge on project operations and gained primary experience working in the field. GX CEO Professor Emily Chan Ying Yang also visited the field and shared with them some important notes she learnt from her early experiences working in the humanitarian frontline. She encouraged the students to “go outside of Hong Kong and contribute to the mother country”, describing this programme as an unprecedented learning opportunity for both the medical team and Hong Kong students to exchange and learn from each other in a foreign country — thus developing the GX and Belt-and-Road spirit of “sharing”.

Eliminating the cataract blindness backlog cases in Pea Reang District

Pea Reang District is one of the 12 administrative areas in Prey Veng Province. Since last December, patients in this district have been receiving surgeries in GX’s Mobile Eye Treatment Centre. Throughout the past few months, GX Foundation has been partnering with local health departments extensively to optimise transport arrangements for patients. So far, GX has completed hundreds of surgeries in the district — so many that local officials have even reported their difficulties searching for new patients. CEO Professor Emily Chan Ying Yang commented, “This is such an important milestone for GX’s project in Cambodia. GX will continue working with the medical team to eliminate the backlog of cataract cases in Prey Veng Province.”

The surgical outcomes were satisfactory that patient’s vision was greatly improved

The Health Commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has sent a 3rd medical team to support GX’s project in Cambodia, where over 1,600 surgeries have been completed so far without any postoperative complications. All patients are making satisfactory progress in recovery. In general, the preoperative visual acuity among patients was lower than 0.1 and raised to 0.6 or above after the cataract surgery. CEO Professor Emily Chan Ying Yang is thankful to all Guangxi medical personnel who supported the cataract project in Cambodia. She said, “I am very grateful to the Guangxi medical team for their contribution to the project, especially the first cohort who went abroad during the pandemic and showed their ‘fearlessness of hardship, dedication, and life-saving boundless love’.”

Apart from the ongoing projects in East Africa, Laos, Cambodia and Djibouti, GX will be launching 2 other projects in West Africa—Mauritania and Senegal—by the end of September. GX strives to restore the sight of local patients, develop friendships with other countries through medical assistance, and foster “people-to-people” connectivity.

Meeting with the Ministry of Health of Cambodia and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia

CEO Professor Emily Chan Ying Yang and GX team met with the newly appointed Minister of Health of Cambodia and extended their warmest congratulations to the minister. The team looks forward to working in close collaboration with the minister on GX’s “Cataract Blindness Elimination Project” to restore sight for Cambodian patients.

Meanwhile, this year marks the 65th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cambodia. The Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia also met the minister with Professor Emily Chan to carry forward the China-Cambodia impregnable friendship through practical cooperation.