An important morning for all of Friday’s patients. The removal of the dressings. Everyone hoping that their vision is restored – and of course for many that won’t happen immediately. For those whose home has been the hospital for some days, this is the day they will be packing up, ready to return to their homes in every corner of the country. The Lomaiviti Princess sails on Sunday.
STORIES FROM TODAY
Life continues at Taveuni Hospital. Every day another batch of Fijian people of all ages and background arrive to have their eyesight restored. Pictured here are those that had surgery on Friday. The dressings are soon to be removed by Dr Jeff Rutgard and checked by the other members of the medical team. Time to go home!
Meanwhile all the new arrivals on the Saturday vessel from Suva and Savusavu have arrived and are settling into hospital life. A group of willing children are shown here helping Joey and her catering team prepare some hearty meals. No prizes, but can you guess the name of the root crop they are preparing?
Our volunteer medical team – Profiles
Dr Grace Richter went to Columbia University for her Medical Degree, as well as her Masters in Public Health. After completing her ophthalmology residency at the University of Southern California, she served as the assistant chief of service for ophthalmology at the Los Angeles County Medical Center . Dr. Richter is passionate about international ophthalmology and enjoys volunteering her time to perform and teach manual small incision cataract surgery in developing areas of the world. She is shown here operating in the theatre at Taveuni Hospital.
Dr. Jeffrey Rutgard is an ophthalmologist in Mililani, Hawaii. He received his medical degree from University of Illinois College of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years. Since 1999, he has participated in over 170 eye missions, performed over 100,000 humanitarian eye examinations, and over 11,000 humanitarian eye surgeries which have transformed the lives of the tjose in impoverished locations worldwide. He has trained over 1,000 ophthalmologists worldwide to perform Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS). This is his fourteenth mission to Fiji and has brought untold benefits to the people og this country with cataract issues.
Dr David Pendergrast is an ophthalmologist at Auckland Eye. in New Zealand. David trained in Medicine at Auckland School of Medicine and in Ophthalmology in Auckland and Bristol, UK. Corneal surgery is presently undergoing an exciting period of rapid advancement with the introduction of new techniques and technologies. David is part of our wonderful team and we are thrilled to have him with us. David is married to Lois who is an Ophthalmic Nurse
Dr. Federico Rupil is an ophthalmologist from Argentina and has been part of our team for many years.
Our medical team:
- Dr Greg Booth
- Ineke Van Laar R.N.
- Lorna Cammick
- Jan Beamish, R.N.
- Florence, R.N.
- Narieta, R.N.
- Krishneel, R.N.
- Matelita
- Barbara Mossman
- Shirley Donnelley, R.N.
- Louise Pendergrast
- Helene Brown
- Lorraine Czeip
The Rotary Club of Taveuni, in association with Rotary clubs in New Zealand, Australia and the United States, have made the eye project for Fiji their primary goal for the year. Please visit the Rotary Club of Taveuni here and Rotary International here for more information.
The Daily Report
| Daily Total | Project Total |
|---|---|
| Total Operations 0 | Total Operations 167 |
| Others 0 | Others 11 |
| Pterygiums 0 | Pterygiums 21 |
| Cataracts 0 | Cataracts 135 |