In order to promote the effective connection between the poverty alleviation achievements and the rural revitalization strategy to realize the Healthy China Strategy, the 2021 National Eye Day "The Lighting Project· Cataract Recovery" symposium was held in Beijing.

Yongfu Liu, Deputy Director of the Agricultural and Rural Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the China Poverty-alleviation Promotion of Volunteer Service, Pei'an Wang, Deputy Director of the National Committee of Population, Resources and Environment, and former Deputy Director of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Tianyun Hong, Deputy Director of the National Bureau of Rural Revitalization, Jile Chang, Deputy Director of the National Bureau for Disease Control and Prevention,  Junshan Dong, Deputy Secretary-General of China Volunteer Service Federation and other leaders came to give guidance. More than 80 guests, including responsible comrades of some provinces and cities’ health departments and rural revitalization bureaus, representatives of the National Blindness Prevention Technical Steering Group, representatives of enterprises, and designated hospitals participated in the event. Mingshan Wang, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of China Poverty-alleviation Promotion of Volunteer Service presided over the event.

At the meeting, Mr. Bang Chen, chairman of AIER Eye Hospital Group, delivered a speech as a representative of social forces participating in the "The Lighting Project Cataract Recovery", sharing how the company responded to national policies in the historical process from "winning the fight against poverty" to "promoting rural revitalization in an all-round way" , as well as fulfill social responsibilities and play a leading role to help rural revitalization. Following the "Bright Poverty Alleviation Forum" in 2020, after donated 100 million yuan to help consolidate the achievements of poverty alleviation, AIER will donate another 100 million yuan through the Eye Care Foundation to promote the rural economy development.

Gigantic achievement of the "Bright Poverty Alleviation Project" 

“The Lighting Project” composed a new chapter again

At the event, Director Yongfu Liu first read out the congratulatory letter from Zhu Chen, Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress and Chairman of the Central Committee of the Peasants and Workers Party. The congratulatory letter pointed out that a well-off society for all is built on the basis of health of the people. Xin He stressed that the implementation of the "The Lighting Project Cataract Recovery" is aimed at a prominent problem"Poverty due to illness"in poor rural areas in central and western China.

Yongfu Liu read out a congratulatory letter from Zhu Chen, Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress and Chairman of the Central Committee of the Peasants and Workers Party.

Pei'an Wang, deputy director of the Committee of Population, Resources and Environment of the CPPCC National Committee, hoped in his speech that "The Lighting Project Cataract Recovery" would transform the current work model into a mature long-term mechanism and consolidate the results of poverty alleviation with practical actions. Tianyun Hong, Deputy Director of the National Rural Revitalization Bureau, said in his speech that it is necessary to further utilize the advantages of the flexibility of social organizations, connect more caring companies and people to gather the vast social resources into a solid force that disseminate the achievements of poverty alleviation and effectively connects with rural revitalization.

Pei’an Wang, Deputy Director of the Population, Resources and Environment Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, delivered a speech

Tianyun Hong, deputy director of the National Rural Revitalization Bureau, made a speech

Shoushan Li, Vice President of China Association for the Promotion of Poverty Alleviation Volunteer Services, made a speech

The "Bright Poverty Alleviation Project" is a project jointly initiated by the National Health Commission and the former State Council’s Poverty Alleviation Office to provide free surgical treatment for poor cataract patients who have been registered. It is the predecessor of the “The Lighting Project Cataract Recovery” project. As a caring and socially responsible ophthalmic medical enterprise, AIER has always been shouldering responsibilities and missions from poverty alleviation to rural revitalization, deeply involved to make most of it show the medical treatment strengths.

Since the launch of the project, 125 AIER eye hospitals have become the designated medical institutions, accounting for 8% of all designated hospitals. More than 22,000 cataract surgeries have been performed for registered poor households, and a number of AIER eye hospitals have been awarded as "Advanced Units of Bright Poverty Alleviation Project". In 2020, AIER announced that it would donate 100 million yuan to help cataract patients in poor areas.

Gain a foothold in this new stage

AIER empowers rural area revitalization 

Improving medical and health service capabilities, ensuring the health of rural people, and achieving high-quality development of life are important requirements of the rural revitalization strategy. China Poverty-alleviation Promotion of Volunteer Service launched the “The Lighting Project Cataract Recovery”, it plans to provide surgical treatment subsidies to 200,000 cataract patients in rural low-income groups every year, Improving the sense of fulfillment, happiness, and economic security of cataract patients in rural areas in the central and western regions.

Mr.Bang Chen, Chairman of AIER Eye Hospital Group, delivered a speech as a representative of social forces participating in "The Lighting Project Cataract Recovery"

At the symposium, Mr. Bang Chen, Chairman of AIER Eye Hospital Group, delivered a speech as a representative of social forces participating in the "The Lighting Project Cataract Recovery", sharing the experience and achievements of corporate forces in supporting poverty alleviation, as well as assisting the comprehensive transition from "healthy poverty alleviation" to "healthy poverty prevention". To disseminate the achievements of poverty alleviation and effectively connects with rural revitalization, AIER will donate an additional 100 million yuan to the “The Lighting Project” through the Eye Care Foundation to help cataract patients, especially rural patients, relieve their pain and promote rural revitalization in an all-round way.

AIER will donate an additional 100 million yuan to the “The Lighting Project” through the Eye Care Foundation

"Strengthening the construction of the primary medical and health service system is an important part of the implementation of the Healthy China strategy, and eye care in rural areas has always been the focus of AIER's attention." Mr. Bang Chen said "AIER has dual advantages in terms of scale and mechanism in the construction of primary eye care services: the hospital network serving the whole country and the medical volunteer team can deliver professional eye health care services to urban and rural areas in China, it can effectively improving the accessibility of medical services for sure. With its "cross-subsidy" model, we provides patients with higher quality services, in the meantime dedicate itself to the social welfare and helping vulnerable groups to promote the cause of fighting blindness and national eye health. In addition, AIER also actively cooperates with governments at all levels and public welfare organizations to launch various eye disease, as well as build a public welfare system covering all ophthalmic diseases, Moreover, we will also carry out services in grassroots communities and remote rural areas, play an active role in public welfare undertakings such as free eye clinics and eye health education. "

Up to now, AIER has helped nearly 700,000 impoverished eye disease patients to see the world again, contributing 11% to China's CSR. Eye health clinics and eye education seminar have covered 180 million people, with footprints in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country. AIER will provide targeted assistance to poverty-stricken areas to meet the needs of poor rural people for eye health care, and help them fight against poverty.

"People is the foundation of the country, the country will be safe if the foundation is firmed”Since its founding, AIER always committed to the mission, "Enabling everyone, whether rich or poor, has the right to eye health." Mr. Bang Chen said that based on the new stage and new form, AIER will adhere to the new concept of rural revitalization, help more rural low-income people get eye treatment, benefit the society with our efforts! "