Pacific eye specialists continue to serve communities despite difficulties
Quoting Radio New Zealand – 2 July 2019
“A small group of Pacific eye care specialists are determined to make a difference despite the challenge of a heavy workload, large areas to cover and often minimal resources at their disposal.
“There is also a glaring shortage of specialists across the region which has exacerbated the problem.
“However there is hope on the horizon with a number of countries recently getting their first Ophthamalogists or eye doctors and reinforcements imminent.
“Eye health has a long history of being an issue with cataracts common and responsible for 80 percent of avoidable blindness in the Pacific.
“But the field is under more pressure now with the emergence of diabetes eye disease off the back of a non-communicable disease crisis.
“Duke Mataka is the only Ophthamalogist in Tonga, having just graduated from the Pacific Eye Institute in Suva
“Like Dr Mataka, Rabebe Tekeraoi is the only eye care specialist in her country, Kiribati. She said while she was attending to up to 40 people a day at her clinic, there were more people in need in the outer islands.”
Copyright @ 2019, Radio New Zealand
