Today, Minister of Health Dr. dr. Siti Fadilah Supari, Sp.JP (K), visits Cicendo Eye Hospital, Bandung. She welcomed by managements of Cicendo Eye Hospital is directed to see health service in outpatient and inpatient unit. In this occasion, the minister talked directly to the patients in the counter of Community Health Assurance (Jamkesmas) Services. This way is often done by the minister when visiting hospital to know that Health Assurance Program has done well and people feel satisfied.

According to Head Director of Cicendo Eye Hospital dr. Kautsar Boesoirie, Sp. M. MM, the hospital is only one eye hospital owned by MOH that has function to give service, education and research in eye health. Cicendo Eye Hospital is Eye Specialized Education Hospital Grade A whose affiliation with Faculty of Medicine University of Padjajaran, has applied financial management "Public Service Agency". Cicendo Eye Hospital in January 2009 has been 1,000 years old, was founded in 1909. Its first missions were to cope with trachoma and xerophtalmia epidemic, then developed to special hospital to overcome all eye diseases and blindness. In 1961, this hospital was started to be used by students from Faculty of Medicine of Padjajaran, and in 1968 is used as education place for ophthamologist and started from 2007 as education place for sub-ophthamologist. Through Health Minister's decree No. 1040/Menkes/SK/XI/1992, Cicendo Eye Hospital was decided as national referral eye hospital so that many facilities and service quality was starting to be improved. Since 2002, it started from manpower quality improvement, tools and facilities. Then, it was developed to the center excellent service center, such as pediatric ophthalmology, vitreo-retina, community ophthalmology, glaucoma and cataract refractive surgery. After that followed by ophthalmology training center and ophthalmology research center through coordination with some agencies in country and abroad, said dr. Kautsar. Blindness problems are still become health problem in abroad and Indonesia . According to the result of National Health Survey of Senses in 8 provinces in 1993 � 1996, the prevalence of blindness in Indonesia was 1.5%. Main causes of blindness were cataract (0.78%), glaucoma (0.20%), refraction malfunctions (0.14%), and other diseases connected to old age period (0.38%). According to this survey there was data that blindness in villages 1.7% higher than cities 1.1%. Incidence of cataract was 0.78% or about 210,000 people each year. Meanwhile the capacity to doing surgery was just only about 80,000 people each year. Because of that backlog of cataract patients who need surgery had taken place. This logging was happened due to among other low accessibility of surgery service, minimal knowledge of community, difficult to reach the health facilities caused by geographical condition and health personnel availability and limited eye health facilities. Ministry of Health still continues to make efforts to handle that problems with coordination with some agencies such as Perdami (Indonesia Ophtalmologist Association), NGO of Eye Health Care and private agencies. Besides that, Cicendo Eye Hospital as Technical Manager Unit of MOH does the efforts to improve coverage of cataract surgery in some areas in Indonesia . Through the center of excellence, among other community ophthalmologist, RS Cicendo has joined with Perdami of West Java, Commission of Blindness Malfunction Handling of West Java, NGO of Eye Health Care in West Java and some private agencies to do cataract surgery care inside and outside hospital. The activities of cataract surgery care have not just done in outside of hospital in West Java, but in other areas too in Indonesia. Efforts of eye health/blindness preventive has been integrated to the main activities of Health Center since 1984 meanwhile cataract handling program completely has been done from 1987 through Hospital and Community Eye Health Office. This information is released by Center for Public Communication, Secretariat General MOHRI. For more information you can contact via the phone number/fax: 021-52907416-9 and 52921669, or e-mail address This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .