Sight Restored in Warrap State
This week, Kuajok’s main hospital echoed with relief as 786 patients left the operating room able to see again. The Catholic Diocese of Wau, backed by Germany and South Sudan’s health ministry, wrapped up its fourth free eye-care mission in Warrap State.
Mass Cataract Campaign in Kuajok
The team arrived on 3 November with supplies for 1,200 cases. By closing day, it had completed 755 cataract extractions and 31 additional procedures, including pterygium removal and enucleation. Coordinators say no severe complications were recorded.
Local Surgeons Lead the Theatre
“All the doctors were South Sudanese,” noted Dr. Jurel Payii Mamur, diocesan health coordinator. Observers say the choice built public trust and showcased national capacity at a time when specialist skills are often imported.
Nurses from Wau and Kuajok were trained in pre- and post-operative care, creating a pool of local personnel able to monitor patients after the mission ends.
Next Stop: Aweil Clinics
Organisers are already packing for Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, where another 1,200 patients are expected between 1 and 12 December. Dr. Mamur says resources are on track and registration in rural payams has begun.
Regional Vision for Eye Health
The campaign lifted the cumulative number of beneficiaries in Wau Diocese to 3,500 since 2021. Public health analysts view the approach—mobile theatres, local surgeons, donor synergy—as a replicable model for tackling preventable blindness across East Africa.
For schoolchildren who can now read a blackboard and farmers who can sort seeds, the gains are immediate. Yet advocates caution that sustained impact will require routine screenings, affordable spectacles and continued investment in primary eye-care facilities.