Making friends with the Aboriginal community
Dr Lam worked in the Northern Territory, where he had the chance to make friends with members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. He said, “We found it easy to communicate with each other. They are very creative and friendly.”
It was 20 years ago. There were no tourist facilities or hotels in the area so his Indigenous friends would take him to catch crabs in the mudflats. Dr Lam’s job was to conduct eye screening for the Aboriginal community and he also witnessed the improvement needed for the people.
He said, “The indigenous people are three times more likely to be blind than other Australians and 12 times more likely to have cataract. And they wait longer for cataract surgery.”
Professor Fred Hollows first priority was to improve eye care services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. However, his focus did not stay on the Australian land. He also represented The World Health Organization in countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, and Burma, and Vietnam, with the mission of conducting eye screening, surgeries and to train local ophthalmologists. Prof. Hollows felt deeply for the patients in these countries, especially how poverty had barred people from having simple, affordable and quick eye care services. Indeed, there was still a lot to do.