The Foundation to host study tour

The Foundation’s CEO Brian Doolan has confirmed that 27 health managers and ophthalmologists will travel to Australia in October and November to undertake Australian Leadership Awards Fellowships.

All were handpicked from government and not-for-profit agencies working with The Foundation in Cambodia, Nepal and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR).

“The challenges eye care agencies face in Cambodia, Nepal and Lao PDR are complex and unique to each country,” Doolan said. “Fred’s approach was to support local experts to create the most appropriate eye health programs for their setting. That’s what these fellowships are about.”

During their stay, participants will attend workshops, conferences and short courses. They will also visit The Foundation’s Northern Territory Indigenous Eye Health Program.

Seventeen of the participants work in health departments in Cambodia and Lao PDR. They will learn new health promotion strategies.

“There’s no point delivering health care if people don’t know where to find the treatment and can’t afford it,” Doolan said. “Participants will return to work better equipped to provide accessible, affordable eye care to remote communities.”

Ten emerging leaders from the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology in Kathmandu, Nepal will be completing a separate fellowship with The Foundation.

Nepal has been a focus for The Foundation since Fred first worked there on a blindness prevention program in the 1980s. Early last year the internationally renowned eye hospital underwent a significant upgrade. Participants on the study tour will learn how to manage Tilganga’s growth and cement its status as the region’s eye care hub.

The announcement of the fellowships follows previous rounds which brought eye specialists to Australia from Bangladesh in March 2010 and Pakistan in July.