41 Bekasi Residents Undergo Free Cataract Surgery, Participants Express Gratitude for Improved Vision

BEKASI, KOMPAS.com – A total of 41 residents of Bekasi Regency underwent free cataract surgery at Bhakti Husada Hospital, Cikarang Utara District, on Wednesday (25/2/2026). The activity was funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) as part of a social welfare program for underprivileged citizens. One of the participants, Romi (62), a resident of Cikarang, said he had been suffering from cataracts for three months, which had caused vision impairment in his left eye. “Alhamdulillah, I am grateful that my vision can finally be restored. I felt sad and afraid because before, I could only see with one eye. In the beginning, my eyes were normal,” Romi told Kompas.com on Wednesday. Romi said he felt calm during the surgery. He fully entrusted the medical procedure to the doctors. “I just surrendered to God and to the doctors. The important thing is to be cured,” he said. He learned about the free cataract surgery program from a community leader in his neighbourhood. According to him, the program is very helpful for people like him. Another participant, Bariah (69), a resident of Karang Bahagia, Bekasi Regency, said she had been suffering from cataracts for two years. The vision in her right eye gradually blurred, disrupting her daily activities as a mortician. She admitted that she had faced financial constraints in getting her eyes examined and operated on. “I can’t afford to pay for it myself. Alhamdulillah, there is this government program,” she said. Bariah, who works as a mortician and has been widowed for 19 years, said she was very grateful for the free health service. Meanwhile, the Minister of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Saifullah Yusuf, said that this social welfare program targets beneficiary families who need government assistance.