How it Started
The Fred Hollows Foundation has had a long association with Eritrea, beginning with Fred Hollows' first visit to the country in 1986 when he met Eritrean paediatrician, Dr Nerayo Michael. Fred had been introduced to Fessehaie Abraham who had raised his interest in the Eritrean struggle.
On his visit Fred also met Eritrean surgeon, Dr Desbele Ghebreghergis (now the Medical Director of Birhan Hospital in Asmara) who was working for the Eritrean Liberation Front in the country's 30 year war for independence against Ethiopia.
Fred organised for Dr Ghebreghergis to come to Australia to spend a year with him at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, at the same time that Dr Sanduk Ruit from Nepal was there. During his stay in Australia Dr Ghebreghergis visited Bourke with Fred on a number of occasions and also visited the Torres Strait.
When Dr Ghebreghergis returned to Eritrea he was provided with a microscope and some other equipment.
In 1988 Dr Garry Brian, a colleague of Fred's, visited Eritrea (one of his many visits) to teach
modern cataract surgery - extra capsular cataract extraction with a perspex intraocular lens implant (ECCE + PCIOL)- to five ophthalmic assistants. Dr Brian and Fred then visited Eritrea again in 1990 and 1991 to follow up on the training and to provide additional equipment.
While there in 1990 they visited Massawa with a crew from 60 minutes, an Australian television program. On the trip in 1991 Fred, Dr Brian, Dr Mark Gillies, Dr John Cooper and Pat Fiske provided donated equipment and performed some surgery with the ophthalmic assistants who were all based in Asmara running outpatient departments and performing operations.
During this visit they also visited the Dahlak Islands and conducted screening for Dahlak blindness. Fred later obtained 10,000 pairs of sunglasses from a British company which were distributed in the northern Red Sea area.
In January 1994, 11 months after Fred's death, Dr Brian again visited Eritrea again and completed an audit of all provincial hospitals and clinics in order to develop a Prevention of Blindness Plan.
In December 1994 the University of Asmara worked with the University of NSW, through Dr Ghebreghergis and Dr Brian, to establish a formal curriculum for the training of ophthalmic officers, including tutorials, surgical tuition, exams and formal certification.
In 1999 at a meeting in Beijing, attended by Dr Ghebreghergis, The Foundation made a commitment to re-engage with Eritrea.
In 2002 The Foundation's work with Eritrea was renewed with the development of a Memorandum of Understanding with the MOH, to strengthen blindness prevention work in Eritrea and to develop a Vision 2020 strategy.
In 2003 the Eritrean MOH established the National Program for the Prevention of Blindness (NPPB) and a National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness was then set up to oversee the program. One of the first undertakings of the committee was to conduct a National Situational Analysis for Eye Care in 2004.
The National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness developed a National Five Year Strategic Plan for Eye Care in Eritrea, in-line with the Vision 2020 strategy, the existing MOH's Primary Health Care Program and other levels of the public health system.
The overall objective of the five year plan is to reduce the level of avoidable blindness in Eritrea by providing good quality, accessible and sustainable eye care services to the population.