Eye care team helps patients

A TEAM of Fred Hollows Foundation eye care professionals from Madang were in Alotau recently to provide eye care to patients there.
The Fred Hollows Foundation, in a statement, said what was originally planned to be a two-week outreach was soon extended to meet the needs of all the patients coming in from the outer remote villages and
districts.
“In the first two weeks, 140 cataract surgeries were performed and 944 patient consultations were held.
“This is an amazing effort from all involved – from the nurses who screen the patients and doctors who perform surgeries, down to the staff who coordinate with the local hospital and organise the supplies,
accommodation and travel required to make an outreach possible.
“Further surgeries have been booked in for this week before the team travels back to Madang on Thursday (today),” according to the statement.
It said the PNG team was also invited to meet with key eye health organisations last Friday.
The statement said the Fred Hollows Foundation PNG team used the opportunity to advocate for more eye doctors in the country.
It said PNG should have 80 eye doctors, yet currently, there are only 13.
It said PNG had the highest rates of blindness.