JEDDAH, 1 December — Preparations are under way for the establishment of the first center for the blind in the Kingdom that will provide services to thousands of locals who suffer from impaired vision.
The constituent body supervising the establishment of the Visually Impaired Service Center in Saudi Arabia met in Jeddah over the past days under Prince Talal ibn Abdul Aziz, chairman of the Arab Gulf Fund for the United Nations Development Program (AGFUND).
Prince Talal pledged full support for the project whose services will not be confined to the Kingdom but would be extend to benefit patients from Arab and Muslim countries.
Other members attending the meeting were Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef, former deputy chairman of the Shoura Council, Dr. Muhammad Abdo Yamani, former information minister and a prominent philanthropist, Dr. Akif Al-Maghrabi, chairman of Al-Maghrabi Group of Hospitals, and Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Ali, president of Islamic Development Bank, in addition to leading local businessmen.
Dr. Al-Maghrabi said visually impaired people account for 30 percent of handicapped people in Saudi Arabia, who are estimated to number over 500,000 (or 3.7 percent of the population).
Some estimates put the figure as high as one million, of whom physical disabilities account for 34 percent, those suffering speech problems 13.4 percent and persons with hearing problems 11 percent. The mentally disabled people make up 9.7 percent of the total figure. Over 40 percent of the handicapped are undergoing some form of rehabilitation.
Saudi Arabia has endorsed a national code for the handicapped to govern the affairs of the growing number of its disabled population and help them integrate into the mainstream society.
Government officials said the regulations approved by the Shoura Council cover different areas relating to the handicapped with emphasis on education, health, training, employment and basic services. The law stipulates punitive measures against violators to ensure protection of the rights of the handicapped.
Dr. Al-Maghrabi said contacts have been made with relevant institutions in Europe and the United States to benefit from their experience in the fight against blindness.
A building adjacent to Al-Maghrabi Hospital in Jeddah has been allocated to house the center, which will work to rehabilitate the visually impaired to help them become active members of the society.
