Building Eye Care Capacity in Gondar, Ethiopia-Part 2

In Part 2 of our two-part series on ORBIS’s Hospital-Based Program (HBP) in Gondar, meet Dr. Donny Suh, ORBIS volunteer ophthalmologist and Dr. Mulusew Asferaw, Gondar University ophthalmologist as they discuss the value of hands-on training and skills building.

ORBIS’s very first country office was established in Ethiopia in 1999. Since then, the office has worked to implement a model for comprehensive rural eye care focusing on capacity building, health care technology development and advocacy.

In 2012, ORBIS conducted a HBP in Gondar, Ethiopia with our long-time partner, Gondar University Hospital. Gondar is located in northern Ethiopia in the Amhara region and is often referred to as the “Camelot of Africa” because of its numerous historical castles. Menelik II Hospital in Addis Ababa was previously the only tertiary department of ophthalmology for several decades and now as a result of ORBIS support Gondar is providing these services as well.

HBPs are designed to address a specific clinical training need and support a clear, deliverable outcome identified by ORBIS local partners. As part of these programs, ORBIS Volunteer Faculty (VF) are deployed to work within our partner institutions to transfer knowledge and skills.