The new Eye center at Liberia’s state-owned referral hospital, JFK Medical Center making inroads, with about 600 patients successfully treated over the last five months, as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf hails the head of the Institute.
This was disclosed by Dr. Gullapalli N, Rao, Founder, L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, when the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf conferred the highest honour on the Indian doctor, the Order of the Star of Africa at her officer in Monrovia recently.
Dr. Rao said in addition to conducting Cornea transplants, the next focus of the Eye Institute will be to cater to cataract patients.
And by the year 2020, he said the facility should be able to treat at least 20,000 Cataract patients across Liberia and in the sub-region.
Rao recounted that about three years ago while catering to a Liberian girl with some eye problem in India, President Sirleaf was also in India on a State visit, and during their interactions, the issue of extending the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute’s services to Liberia was discussed, a press release from the Executive Mansion said.
Dr. Rao noted that following successful operations on the eyes of the Liberian girl who was taken to India, he and some members of team decided to extend the facility to Liberia in honor of President Sirleaf’s request.
“No Liberian will go needlessly blind, like it was in the past, when the L.V. Parsat Eyes Institute was not in the country,” The Eye Center Director noted that during the dedicatory ceremony in July of this year.
President Sirleaf commended Dr. Rao for what she called his exceptional performance and contributions to Liberia.
“You and your team from India that have established this Branch of the L.V Prasad Eye Institute here in Liberia have been doing so exceptionally; working with doctors and medical personnel at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center to meet and treat the number of eye patients currently benefitting from your service in Liberia,” President Sirleaf stressed.
She commended Dr. Rao and his team for responding to theGovernment of Liberia’s call at quick notice to extend the operations of the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute to Liberia some three years ago. The L.V. Prasad Eye Institute’s rapid response was accompanied by the some of the best state of the art medical equipment to the country.
President Sirleaf praised Dr. Rao thanked he and his men’s for working with various group, including those from the civil society, local and international partners in exploring other avenues; giving special care and attention to children with eye-related problems and the manufacturing of special eye glasses for them in a bid to save them from early blindness.
“Your commitment has been tremendous,” President Sirleaf told the Indian Doctor and his compatriots.