In a significant stride toward improving public health in Southeast Asia, the Hong Kong-based GX Foundation has completed its six-year Cataract Blindness Elimination Program in Laos.

The program, which was initiated following a memorandum of understanding signed with Laos' Ministry of Health in 2019, ended with a ceremony in Vientiane on Friday, marking the delivery of nearly 5,800 free cataract surgeries across the nation.

The program was aimed at addressing the backlog of cataract cases in Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and Champasak.

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Since its official launch in September 2022, 10 medical teams comprising 73 ophthalmologists from China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region conducted eye examinations for more than 6,500 individuals and performed 5,768 cataract surgeries, effectively eliminating the backlog of cases.

Speaking at the event, Laos' Deputy Prime Minister Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune lauded the initiative as a tangible example of the China-Laos community's shared future, emphasizing its impact on improving patients' quality of life and improving the country's public health initiatives.

The ceremony was also attended by Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the GX Foundation, Fang Hong, China's ambassador to Laos, and Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, Lao's minister of health.

Leung said that Laos is the first country where the GX Foundation has achieved its target of eliminating the backlog of cases of cataract-induced blindness.

"The Foundation will continue our commitment to advancing medical and public health collaboration, contributing to the development of a China-Laos community with a shared future," he said.

Established in 2018, the GX Foundation focuses on providing humanitarian aid in the medical and public health fields to countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

In May last year, it also launched the "Project for Health Protection against Dengue Fever" in partnership with the Laos-China Railway Company and the China Railway Kunming Group.

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The project involved installing 1,000 mosquito-eradicating lamps at 24 stations along the China-Laos Railway and providing rapid dengue test kits at railway medical stations. This large-scale disease prevention effort is a rarity on a cross-border railway anywhere in the world.

On May 10, the GX Foundation renewed its memorandum of understanding with the Laos-China Railway Company to expand dengue prevention efforts along the railway.

With successful projects in Cambodia, Senegal, and now Laos, the foundation plans to broaden its operations, strengthen its team of young volunteers, and deepen collaboration with the Chinese mainland. Future initiatives include expanding cataract surgeries, preventing dengue fever, and providing drinking water to more regions.