Christmas happiness for eye patients in Bulolo with celebrity attention

In addition to the happiness about their regained eyesight, patients at the eye outreach held from 24-28 December in Bulolo (Morobe Province, PNG) also enjoyed a distinguished visitor.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry of Papua New Guinea, the honourable Samuel H. Basil, made it a point to see the eye surgeries and even attend the procedures in person. The Parliamentary Representative for Bulolo District also informed himself about the patients operated on the previous day and was overall very impressed.

Another reason for admiration this week was the portable microscope "Flair" which, after a power failure, enabled three cataract operations without external energy thanks to its integrated battery.

Instead of spending the Christmas week with their families, the eye team from Goroka and Mt. Hagen was in Bulolo to restore the eyesight of dozens of senior citizens from the various rural communities in the district. A total of 70 cataracts were operated on and 100 other cases were treated as outpatients.