PESHAWAR, Feb 16: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said the provincial government is extending all-out support to a district comprehensive eye care programme in order to eliminate blindness from the society.

“We are grateful to the government of Australia and Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF), who have provided their full financial support to Pakistan for the prevention and elimination of blindness”, he said, while presiding over a ceremony of the Pakistan-Australian District Comprehensive Eye Care Programme held at the Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology on Saturday.

“We are also grateful to Professor Mohammad Daud Khan, the rector, Khyber Institute of Ophthalmic Medical Sciences (KIOMS), who with his team is taking a number of beneficial steps in the field of eye health, which are brining positive and far reaching effects in the elimination of blindness in the province.”

Australian High Commissioner Harward Brown said the government of Australia was ready to extend support for the promotion of that noble cause. “Fred Hollows Foundation of Australia will be donating three million dollars to start the district comprehensive eye car in 20 target districts of the country”, he added. Prof Mohammad Daud Khan said there were 45 million blind people in the world.