010811FIRST VISION CENTRE FOR BOUGAINVILLE
By ML
The people of Bougainville with poor eye sights will now see good vision being restored to them thanks to the commitment of PNG Eye Care and International Centre for Eye Care Education in opening a branch in Buka last Friday.
Located behind Langkessa Trading in Buka town, the Buka Vision Centre will provide much needed eye care services to the thousands of Bougainvilleans throughout the region, says Autonomous Bougainville Government vice president and health minister Patrick Nisira.
Mr. Nisira said the vision centre will complement services already offered by Callan Services and expand the accessibility to eye care services for the people of Bougainville.
The establishment of the vision centre now fulfills the much needed health care which Buka General Hospital could not provide as it does not have an eye care clinic although it has a resident ophthalmologist, DR. CYRIL IMAKO.
The lack of an eye care clinic for years had left Bougainvilleans no choice but to seek the services of an ophthalmologist in Rabaul or travel to Lae and Port Moresby.
Mr. Nisira said even so, outreach by the ophthalmologist have been few due to lack of government funding, leaving thousands of Bougainvilleans living with poor eye sight and a reduced quality of life.
He urged that PNG Eye Care and the International Centre for Eye Care Education work closely with Callan Services, World Vision, Oxfam and Care and other NGOs in the region to bring holistic health services into the rural areas of Bougainville.