Phu Yen Eye Hospital demonstrates impact in eye health

Whenever I am asked about a project that explains the long-term impact of The Fred Hollows Foundation, I talk about the Phu Yen Eye Hospital in Vietnam.

The Foundation started working in Phu Yen province in 1999 by funding eye camps. This work soon became a Comprehensive Eye Care Project, and by 2012, the people of Phu Yen could seek treatment at a provincial eye hospital.

The Phu Yen Eye Hospital is an excellent example of The Foundation’s approach to strengthening eye health. Without this hospital, people would have to travel up to 500km south to Ho Chi Minh City for treatment.

The hospital is now independent and serving the people – treating children during school holidays and providing free eye surgery for people living in remote areas.

The Foundation’s role has changed, and under a four-year program, we are focused on a bigger goal – establishing Phu Yen as a “learning hospital” for health organisations in Vietnam and the region.

Photo credit: Truong Van Thom

Almost two years into the program, the hospital is achieving outstanding results. Eight provincial eye hospital delegations have visited to learn about eye health care.

Service quality and operations have been improved with the assistance of our medical advisors Dr Lila Raj Puri and Dr May Ho.

Other learnings from our experience with Alina Vision are being implemented – including adding specialist paediatric areas, workforce development, streamlining administrative procedures and driving collaboration between the health and education sectors in the school eye health setting.

In the first 10 months of this year, the hospital has also screened almost 22,000 school students, performed 8,325 cataract operations, and screened 4,777 people through outreach activities in remote areas of the province.

Photo credit: Thom Truong

As the hospital’s Deputy Director, Dr Huynh Ngoc Khanh, told me: “The Fred Hollows Foundation has always been an excellent partner, providing not just financial support but also professional experience. We are always committed to the Foundation’s development and service to the entire population in the area, focusing on vulnerable groups and people living in remote areas—they have the right to quality eye care services.”