PNG EYE CARE OPENS TWO NEW VISION CENTRES IN BUKA AND MENDI
For the people of Buka and Mendi, clear vision and access to eye care will soon be a reality. The launch of two new Vision Centres is a milestone for the region and for PNG Eye Care, adding to its established centres in Port Moresby, Mount Hagan and Lae. The opening of the new Vision Centres is thanks to an initiative of PNG Eye Care and the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE) with funding from the
Australian Government's Avoidable Blindness Initiative.
The new centres are designed to provide quality, free eye examinations and affordable eye glasses. The facilities will also provide a long term solution to eye care service availability. The initiative aims to ultimately reduce avoidable blindness and vision impairment in Papua New Guinea.
Both Vision Centres are supported by the Australian Government's Avoidable Blindness Initiative through the Vision 2020 Australia Global Consortium. 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. The consortium aims to deliver comprehensive programmes to reduce the incidence of preventable blindness and improve the quality of life for people with low vision and blindness under the Australian Government's Avoidable Blindness Initiative.
Buka Vision Centre opened on 29 July while Mendi Vision Centre will open towards the end of August offering the growing community eye care and vision health services, including low cost glasses, for the first time. Previously, Mendi has relied on the local hospital for general health care needs, including eye care.
Dr Cyril Imako, Chief Executive Officer of the Buka General Hospital expressed his support for the new Vision Centre. "The PNG Eye Care Centre couldn't have come to Bougainville at a better time. It has been a long time that the people of Bougainville have been in need of a local eye care centre. On behalf of Buka General Hospital, I would like to say that we are proud to be working very closely with PNG Eye Care, and on behalf of the people of Bougainville, I would like to welcome this service to the Autonomous Region of Bougainville."
Dr Jambi Garap, Board President of PNG Eye Care and Chair of the National Prevention of Blindness Committee PNG, commented on the new Vision Centre expansion. "This is an exciting time for PNG Eye Care. The opening of two more Vision Centres we believe is going a long way to extending long term eye care services to more remote parts of the country. PNG Eye Care is offering a solution: it is a fact that without affordable, accessible eye care, communities suffer. Sustainable vision care delivery helps create opportunities for individuals, families and ultimately the community."
In Papua New Guinea there is a desperate need for eye care services. A recent study conducted in PNG suggested that 29.2% and 8.9% of people over 50 years of age are vision impaired and functionally blind respectively. Uncorrected refractive error (or the need for a pair of glasses to see) and cataract are the leading causes of vision impairment.
ICEE will work in partnership with PNG Eye Care to make a sustainable eye care service more accessible to the local people of Mendi and Buka alike. Already, PNG Eye Care, in collaboration with ICEE, runs three fully operational Vision Centres with outreach activities offered throughout the country, now extending further to a large amount of the large population living in remote areas.
PNG Eye Care is a local non-government organisation that works in partnership with ICEE and the PNG National Department of Health Works to combat preventable blindness.