Foresight has been committed to working with the Solomon Islands Government to build a sustainable eye program for more than 20 years. Foresight focusses on education, training, provision of equipment and infrastructure development to help the Solomon Islands people cure and prevent blindness.
Key achievements
- Funding of the the initial vocational training in ophthalmology of two local doctors
- Assisted Dr John Hue in his training to become the Solomon Islands first ophthalmologist through local training and skills transfer in the Solomon Islands and near island nations
- Responded to the severely damaged Gizo Hospital caught in the devastation of the 2007 tsunami, providing funding for an equipment upgrade and refurbishment of the Eye Clinic
- Foresight was the lead agency, with Vision 2020 Australia partners, in the AusAID funded program to upgrade the Solomon Islands NRH Eye Unit
- Foresight constructed four eye clinics as identified by the Solomon Island Eye Department as their priority for the National Eye Plan (Auki, Gizo, Kirakira and Honiara Town Council)
- Improved access for 250,000 people to diagnosis and treatment of eye disease
- Upgraded theatre equipment at the National Referral Hospital Honiara
- Developed surgical capacity at Auki, Malaita Province to better service the 100,000 population
- Foresight funded three new baby incubators with resuscitation function and warmers as well as training and installation at the Labour and Neonatal Unit in the Solomon Island’s National Referral Hospital (Honiara).
What’s next?
- Further training of ophthalmologists and eye care nurses to increase capacity
- Building of eye clinics to increase accessibility
- Grow the diabetes screening program to tackle the serious problem of diabetic retinopathy