Australian foundation helps improve eye care
Australia’s Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF) has provided an additional US$117,000 for Hue eye hospital in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue to improve community eye care services.
Director of Hue eye hospital Pham Minh Tuong said that FHF has funded Thua Thien-Hue province’s community eye care since 2006 with a sum of over US$1 million.
In 2013-2015, the foundation will help the hospital train eye doctors and nurses and upgrade equipment in the districts of Nam Dong, Phong Dien and Phu Loc.
During the 2010-2012 period, FHF supported the building of Hue eye hospital in Hue city through the Australian Government’s Initiative to prevent and treat avoidable blindness.
The five-storey hospital has 70-100 beds for inpatients and can serve between 100-200 outpatients a day.
FHF also implemented the US$547,000 project to improve eye care capacity in Phu Vang, Phong Dien and A Luoi districts, helping examine 35,000 children with refraction and treat 1,500 people with cataract.