African Organisation Forms in Zimbabwe Faculty of Local Opthalmologists

The Eyes for Africa organisation last night launched the new All Africa Eye Institute in Harare following the success of its programme over the past decade. Dr Solomon Guramatunhu, Zimbabwe's renowned eye specialist, is the founder and chairman of Eyes for Africa. He, with other medical practitioners and volunteers, has given sight to thousands of Zimbabweans through free cataract surgery over the past decade.

Guramatunhu said Eyes for Africa had decided to form an institute with a local faculty of local opthalmologists and an international faculty of some of the best eye surgeons in the world. He said: "All Africa Eye Institute already has links with a number of eye centres in Canada, the United States of America, Europe, South America, Australia and South Africa.

"Dr Branson Call, an oculo-plastic surgeon from Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America, is our first visitor early next year. He will be followed by many others throughout the year." Guramatunhu said the main objective was to raise the quality of eye care in Africa, to be among the best in the world. He said: "In short, this will be achieved by transferring skills and technology from the best eye centres and eye surgeons in the world to Africa through Zimbabwe."

Some of the programmes to be run by the All Africa Eye Institute from 2003 include regular refresher courses for Zimbabwean and regional opthalmologists, training of eye specialists from other parts of Africa, training of dispensing opticians in the first quarter of 2003, training of optometrists and eye nurses, and research into different medical and surgical treatment modalities of conditions prevalent in the region.