Final Wrap

This post is by Michael Were, Manager of OHI.

It’s hard to believe two weeks has elapsed since I first wrote about the steriliser. Thankfully it did turn up, a little bruised, dented and battered for its extended travel, but in good working order.

142 operations have taken place in nine operating days. It has been a phenomenal effort by the team, and given that it is our first trip of this nature, we are very proud of the achievements.

We leave some final patients in the hands of our good friends Dr. Domalanta and Dr. Flores, two local ophthalmologists who have donated time from their local practices to help and be a part of our team. These patients costs will be covered by Open Heart International, and the surgery will take place in the next couple of weeks.

The job however is far from done. With an estimated 140,000 Filipinos suffering from avoidable blindness in this area alone, there is much to do. I leave though with a renewed enthusiasm for our long term goals. To help this hospital set up a sustainable eye centre, so that they are not solely reliant on an Australian team visiting every year and that this type of surgery can be done year round.

In my first post for this trip, I made reference to Laen Henry, OHI’s good friend and videographer. Laen’s photos and videos tell a far better story than my words do. So click play below and watch what happens when a dream and idea comes to fruition.