10,000 Surgeries in Ethiopia
When Dr. Matt Oliva and a team of Ethiopian ophthalmologists completed a high-volume cataract campaign in Harar in early December, the Himalayan Cataract Project reached an impressive milestone for the year: more than 10,000 outreach surgeries performed in Ethiopia.
In addition to overseeing the campaign in Harar, Dr. Oliva met the directors of the residency programs at the primary teaching hospitals in Ethiopia - Menelik II/Addis Ababa University, St. Paul’s Millennium College, Hawassa, Jimma University, and Gondar University).Training local ophthalmology residents is a cornerstone of HCP’s approach to expanding the eye care infrastructure in Ethiopia. HCP provides opportunities for ophthalmology residents to participate in high-volume cataract interventions to learn both the surgical skills as well as the system of delivery. In 2016, HCP provided specialized training to 64 individuals from Ethiopia, including seven sub-specialists.
“Our Ethiopian team, led by Dr. Liknaw Adamu and Mr. Teketel Mathiwos, is doing a fantastic job,” says Dr. Oliva. “And word of our work is spreading. I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to follow the lead of Dr. Sanduk Ruit in Nepal and see a similar snowball effect in Ethiopia in the years to come.”
