Capacity Building
The Liberia Eye Centre
A Historic Moment
Dr George Tamba Bornguoi, Dr Niranjan K Pehere (Head, LVPEI-Liberia Eye Center) and Dr Unity Honey Dokie Fahn
In 2018, LVPEI started the first ever ophthalmology residency program in Liberia through the Liberia Eye Centre (managed by LVPEI) - John F Kennedy Memorial Medical Center, Monrovia with the aim to make the country self-dependent for eye care delivery. 2021 was a historic year for the people of Liberia with Dr Unity Honey Dokie Fahn and Dr George Tamba Bornguoi becoming the first graduates of this program run in partnership with the Liberian College of Physicians and Surgeons, Lions Clubs International Foundation, the Ministry of Health, Government of Liberia, LDS Charities and Operation Eyesight. LVPEI along with its partners is striving hard to establish a sustainable eye care model that makes eye care services accessible and affordable to all in the country.
A dedicated team, the majority of whom are Liberians, is working towards providing sustainable and affordable world-class eye care to all Liberian citizens, irrespective of their ability to pay. This year, 12,944 outpatients (31% non-paying) were examined and 1107 surgeries (41% non-paying) were performed at the Liberia Eye Centre. Additionally, close to 4800 people were screened for eye ailments including children through outreach activities and various public awareness programs on good eye health practices were organized.
Trained partner hospitals on adopting best practices and IPC (Infection, Prevention and Control) protocols for delivering safe and quality eye care to patients during COVID times
With the support received from Seva Foundation provided partner hospitals with Personal Protective Equipment to help them continue to deliver eye care, even in the rural areas
LVPEI is currently working closely with the Mumbai-based Shantilal Shanghvi Foundation to build the city’s first not-for-profit eye institute that would offer quality patient care with vocational education, translational research, and public health.
In collaboration with SEVA Foundation’s Global Sight Initiative, built capacity of 14 partner hospitals - analysing the challenges they are facing in their integral functions such as supply chain management, quality maintenance, financial sustainability, and demand generation, and helping them devise strategies to overcome those challenges for better performance.
In our constant endeavour to make primary eye care accessible and affordable for all across the country, helped three of our partner centres to setup Vision Centres in remote locations where they were much needed - Ramban district, Jammu and Kashmir (KLSM Rotary Eye Hospital); Sayla district, Rajasthan (GHIO Abu Eye Hospital) and Bidar district, Karnataka (Velemegna Good news Society).
After a detailed needs assessment, enrolled eight partner hospitals in ‘Super Vision’ program to help them establish primary eye care services in their catchment areas.
Educational Hubs
LVPEI is supporting five hospitals in India, courtesy Standard Chartered Bank, to upgrade them as Educational Hubs. These hospitals will become important training centres in their respective states for eye care personnel across all cadres. Additionally, LVPEI also has six hubs in its areas of operation.