Aussie team briefed on eye diseases treatment in Pakistan

LAHORE:Andrew Hartwich, Director of Quality and Learning of Fred Hollows Foundation Australia, appreciated the work of Principal College of Ophthalmology and Allied Vision Sciences (COAVS) Prof Dr M Moin.

The COAVS is promoting excellence in the provision of quality eye care to end all forms of blindness in Pakistan. The Fred Hollows Foundation Australia has been working closely with the COAVS in Pakistan since 1998. Andrew visited the COAVS in Lahore to review the Fred Hollows Foundation’s ongoing and future programmes in vision restoration efforts in the country.

A strategic meeting was also held with the Fred Hollows Foundation Pakistan to discuss the five-year strategy. The meeting was attended by important stakeholders, including Country Manager Fred Hollows Foundation Australia Farooq Awan. Advisor Program Development for Asian Countries Ms Rasheen Chaudhry, Director Community Ophthalmology FHF Punjab Dr. Iqbal Javed, Program Manager FHF Punjab Shazia Bashir, Community Ophthalmologist COAVS Dr. Arif Hussain, and Staff Officer Hamad Hasan Farid also attended the meeting. Andrew lauded the work of Principal College of Ophthalmology and Allied Vision Sciences Prof Dr Muhammad Moin and expressed hope that with this partnership and passion, Prof. Dr. M Moin and Fred Hallows will be able to control the treatable eye diseases.

Prof Dr Moin briefed Andrew Hartwich on all the vision-related projects in Pakistan and provided details of the Fred Hallows collaborative efforts that are being made to restore vision. He emphasised that the five-year strategy provides a significant opportunity to identify existing gaps and develop a result-based approach for targeted communities. He highlighted the importance of a robust Data Management Information System (MIS) to ensure long-term data storage and accessibility. He added that AI tools should be leveraged to detect diabetic retinopathy, which will revolutionise diagnostic capabilities. In 2023, the Fred Hollows Foundation, in collaboration with the College of Ophthalmology and Allied Vision Sciences, performed more than 17,000 vision-restoring cataract surgeries in Pakistan, screened more than 213,000 people, distributed more than 11,000 pairs of eyeglasses, and trained more than 2,000 community health workers and teachers.Last year, it conducted community health and school education programmes for more than 200,000 adults and children in Pakistan.