Ramu people receive essential eye care services

A team of eye-care specialists from the Fred Hollows Foundation is currently running a two- week rural outreach program at Gusap Health Centre in the Ramu Township of the Usino/Bundi District, Madang Province.

The outreach program is diagnosing patients, providing eye surgeries and refractive services; as well as dispensing ready- made spectacles. The program started on April 6 and will wind down tomorrow, April 19.

Such outreaches ensure rural and remote communities have access to essential eye care.

Fred Hollows Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating avoidable blindness and improving eye health, primarily in developing countries.

The Foundation has been working in PNG for over 20 years, supporting the training of ophthalmologists and nurses alongside key partners, including the National Department of Health [NDoH], the Prevention of Blindness Committee, and the University of Papua New Guinea [UPNG].

This month, the Foundation has partnered with the Madang Provincial Health Authority to address these challenges by conducting a two-week screening and surgical outreach in the Upper Ramu area, with funding support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Direct Aid Program.

A contingent of fourteen eye health professionals led by Dr David Pahau travelled to Ramu on April 6 and have been hard at work since then. To date, they have attended to close to 50 patients from the Gusap area, Usino, Walium, and even Markham in the Morobe Province.

The outreach also incorporated a Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) component that ensured women and persons living with a disability could access this specialty service. This was achieved through the collaboration of Robert Nugue from the Creative Self Help Centre and the Health Promotions team, who were deployed a week ahead of the surgical team; to conduct community screenings, raise awareness about eye health, and improve accessibility.

Further support towards the outreach program came from the Morobe Provincial Health Authority through the release of Dr Alice Irafa. Dr Irafa completed her Master of Medicine in Ophthalmology last year, and recently joined PNG’s cadre of 12 ophthalmologists.

Significant logistical and operational assistance were also provided by Ramu Agri Industries Ltd, whose involvement helped ensured the smooth delivery of the outreach.

As the outreach winds down, Fred Hollows Foundation would like to acknowledge the immense support of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade [DFAT] through the Direct Aid Program, as well as the other partners, especially the Madang Provincial Health Authority, Morobe Provincial Health Authority, and Ramu Agri Industries Ltd—without whom they would not have delivered this vital service to the people of Ramu.

The initiative was made possible through the collective efforts of key partners, and reflects a shared commitment to ending avoidable blindness in Papua New Guinea.

Fred Hollows Foundation believes that through strong partnerships and collaborative action, they are working to ensure that no one is needlessly blind and together they can transform lives by restoring sight and helping to build a stronger and more inclusive Papua New Guinea.