New Vision Centre at Nonga hospital

The  people of East New Britian will enjoy increased access to eye care services this year, thanks to the opening of a new Vision Centre at the Nonga General Hospital in December.
Located next to the Eye Clinic at the Nonga General Hospital, the Centre is an initiative of PNG Eye Care, a local NGO, in partnership with the Nonga Hospital and the International Centre for Eye Care Education, with AusAID funding.
Celebrating the opening on Dec 19 last year, the Hospital Board and Management expressed deep delight and appreciation at the early Christmas present.
Speaking at the opening Nonga Hospital Board Chairman Sir Ronald ToVue commended PNG Eye Care and said eyes were so important and there was a great need in the area and many people from Nonga and East New Britain had to go to Lae or Port Moresby for eye care services.
“Now, they don’t have to travel long distances and spend lots of money for this essential service,” said Sir Ronald.
The national number of Vision Centres in PNG has doubled during 2011, providing twice the eye care access to the local communities.
The opening of Rabaul Vision Centre is the third new Vision Centre to open as part of a scheduled increase in vision care delivery through remote and rural PNG this year.
The urgent need for basic eye care in PNG is the focus of an ongoing initiative between PNG Eye Care, the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE) and the PNG and Australian governments to develop sustainable systems providing increased access to eye care for all local people.
Blindness and poor vision has a serious impact on individuals, leaving a lasting effect on the economy of communities and the country, leading to loss of productivity, greater unemployment and increased
health care costs.
The Rabaul Vision Centre is established and operated in collaboration with the Nonga General Hospital and located beside the Eye Clinic. It was officially opened jointly by AusAID and the Nonga Hospital.
Acting Chief  Excecutive Officer of the Nonga General Hospital and  Deputy Chief Ophthalmologist for the New Guinea Islands Region Dr Ako Yap said at the opening: “Vision Centres are a crucial step in building a sustainable eye care system in PNG.  By creating Vision Centres, associated with local hospitals and staffed by trained local personnel, this collaborative effort is establishing an eye care system that will continue to serve PNG’s disparate population beyond the involvement of the governments and aid organisations.”
He said, “Too often we see a devastating and, sadly, unnecessary toll on communities and individuals alike which could have been prevented with access to eye care. Vision is one of those basic health care requirements that we must continue to work together to address and increase access within PNG.”
AusAID Representative Ms Judith Ugava-Taunao in her keynote address applauded the collaboration of both governments, with PNG Eye Care, the hospital and ICEE, saying that collectively they are making an important difference to the lives of people.
She commended PNG Eye Care “for its commitment and excellent work to reducing avoidable blindness in PNG and assisting those with vision problems.”
Eileen Tugum, PNG Eye Care Operations Manager in explaining the work of PNG Eye Care and the Vision Centres said the local staff trained through ICEE collaborations with PNG Eye Care, are offering the much needed eye examinations and prescribing spectacles in the Vision Centres to the people of PNG.
By using the existing structure of the regional health services we are creating a sustainable programme to achieve greater access long term.
Over time this work will contribute to poverty alleviation by enabling people to engage fully in education and work opportunities.
There are also the jobs and new skills provided by the new Vision Centres,” said Ms Tugum.
All six Vision Centres in PNG are supported by the Australian Government’s Avoidable Blindness Initiative (ABI) through Vision 2020 Australia Global Consortium. The six centres, supported by ABI funding, have been opened in Port Moresby, Lae, Mount Hagen, Buka, Mendi and now Rabaul.
These partnerships are making progress in delivering eye examinations, prescribing spectacles and offering early eye disease detection to the people in most need with the aim of improving their quality of life.
The Global Consortium is a partnership of nine Australian eye health and vision care organisations working to eliminate avoidable blindness and vision loss in the Asia-Pacific region under the Australian Government’s Avoidable Blindness Initiative (ABI). The Consortium, through supporting partnerships, provides eye care, spectacles, low vision services for people who would not otherwise have access.