Since 2005, The Foundation's sister organisation, The Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand, has worked in close partnership has worked closely with the government of Timor-Leste to provide vital eye health services for the nation’s one million inhabitants and to develop and implement a national eye health strategy.

Overview

Timor-Leste is one of the poorest countries in the world, with more than 77 percent of the population living on less than $2 a day. Decades of civil unrest has damaged health infrastructure and led to an acute shortage of medical personnel, including appropriately trained eye health workers.

Approximately 13,500 people in the country are blind, 73 percent of them due to cataract. A further 40,000 people have poor vision that affects their daily lives.

The Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand is addressing these problems by collaborating with government and local partners to develop a range of appropriate eye health services. Already, The Foundation has worked with the nation’s Ministry of Health to develop the 5-Year National Eye Health Strategy; assisted with the implementation of a National Spectacle Program; and established a one-year Diploma of Eye Care course at the National Institute of Health Services in Dili.

The Foundation also recently completed the country’s second national eye health survey, which will help refine the planning and delivery of services in Timor-Leste over the next five years.

The Foundation’s long-term goal is to provide ongoing support to the government and its local partners, helping them to establish a comprehensive and sustainable national eye health program that address the major causes of blindness and low vision in this fledgling nation.

About the program

The upheaval that followed Timor-Leste’s referendum on independence in 1999 led to a complete collapse of the country’s health system.

Since regaining its independence in 2002, the nation has worked hard to restore and improve health services – but great challenges remain.

Working with limited resources, Timor-Leste’s Ministry of Health is attempting to reduce the burden of disease that afflicts the majority of the country’s inhabitants, while also building medical infrastructure for the future.

The eye health situation in Timor-Leste remains serious. Approximately 2,000 people are going blind from cataract each year, and specialised eye health services remain scarce.

Since early 2010, The Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand operated alongside an international surgical team including local, Cuban, and Chinese eye doctors with support provided by Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, in a temporary operating theatre housed in a shipping container.

Almost 1,000 people were treated at the temporary facility. However, the need for a more permanent resource remained pressing.

The National Eye Care Facility

That’s why The Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand and The Fred Hollows Foundation in Australia have constructed a permanent, purpose-built National Eye Care Facility in Dili. The centre houses the country’s first comprehensive eye care service, including a dedicated operating theatre and outpatients’ clinics as well as an optical workshop, a low vision clinic, a training centre and offices to manage clinical and other eye health services.

Trained doctors and nurses from the Timor-Leste Ministry of Health will staff the facility, with the Timor-Leste government and AusAID providing medical equipment. Local staff and government will manage the centre’s day-to-day operations.  

The facility serves as a focal point for eye health in Timor-Leste, offering treatment to the country’s urban population as well as to patients referred from district hospitals and rural clinics. The facility’s surgical team will conduct periodic outreach surgery at selected district hospitals to reach patients who cannot afford to travel to Dili. The facility also provides training and support for ophthalmic nurses and technicians in district hospitals.

The Foundation will support the operation of the National Eye Care Facility by:

• providing management support and ensure that necessary functions – like record-keeping and safety standards training – are correctly established, well coordinated and closely monitored
• raising community awareness of the centre, promote access to services for rural populations and allay any fears the public may have about undergoing eye treatment
• providing training support to staff, both at the centre and at district hospitals and community-based clinics to enhance the referral system.

The completion of the National Eye Care Facility is a significant step towards creating an effective and sustainable eye health program in Timor-Leste and will provide a major resource to the nation’s government to assist with their development of comprehensive health infrastructure.

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2010