BISHKEK - A center dedicated to blindness prevention cooperation with China has officially opened in a hospital in southern Kyrgyzstan.

According to a report from the Chinese embassy on Monday, the China-Kyrgyzstan Cooperation Center of Blindness Prevention is designed to enhance ophthalmological collaboration between China and Kyrgyzstan. It will foster mutual visits, training, and academic exchanges among eye care professionals, and its establishment is expected to benefit Kyrgyz patients suffering from eye diseases. The center is located inside the Interstate United Clinical Hospital in Osh.

"This project is a new beginning of our cooperation in the field of health," Kyrgyz Health Minister Alymkadyr Beishenaliev said during the center's opening ceremony. The minister hoped that the friendly relations between Kyrgyzstan and China would continue.

As part of this collaboration, the "Brightness Journey of LifeLine Express" project was also launched in Osh on Sept 2. Under this initiative, doctors from the People's Hospital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are performing free cataract removal surgeries. Chinese doctors will provide these life-changing operations to 200 patients while also conducting training sessions for local medical professionals.

Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Du Dewen, highlighted the center's significance, calling it another major milestone in the two countries' healthcare collaboration. She expressed her hope that the center would fulfill its purpose and contribute further to building a community with a shared future between China and Kyrgyzstan.

One of the patients, Laimzhan Kaderkulov, who had been struggling with deteriorating vision in his left eye, successfully underwent surgery on Sept 6. "I can see clearly now. I am deeply grateful to the Chinese doctors," Kaderkulov said.

This initiative aligns with China's commitment -- announced at the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in September 2022 -- to provide 2,000 free cataract surgeries to patients in SCO countries over the next three years.