Africa-Press – Liberia. Partial View of the NEMC Eye Unit at the JFD Hospital in Tappita
Following over three years of operation and supervision of the Eye Center project funded by the Lions Clubs International Foundation, through a private public partnership with New Eyesight and Medical Center (NEMC) as the implementing agency, the Jackson F. Doe Hospital Eye Center has been officially turned over to the hospital management team.
The Eye Center is valued over three hundred and eighty thousand United States Dollars. There was a Memorandum of Understanding developed in 2021, granting the New Eyesight and Medical Center the authority to implement the said project to ensure best practice.
Speaking at the official turn over ceremony recently in Tappita District, the Executive Director of New Eyesight and Medical Center Mr. Robert F. Dolo, indicated that the project was implemented successfully.
Mr. Dolo disclosed that over the past three years, New Eyesight and Medical Center was able to successfully and adequately train seven professional nurses. Of the seven nurses trained, three of them were trained as ophthalmic nurses and three as optometry technicians and one of the ophthalmic nurses was sent to the Gambia and trained as a cataract surgeon. Prior to the establishment of the Eye Center, there was no existing eye unit at the Jackson F. Doe Hospital. The Eye Center was established in 2020 and equipped with the necessary technology to provide the needed medical, surgical and optical eye care services for patients in the region.
The New Eyesight and Medical Center Executive Director reaffirmed his commitment to provide consultancy to the Jackson Fiah Doe Regional Referral Hospital in Tappita District, Lower Nimba County, if called upon, despite the turning over ceremony today.
He praised the Lions Clubs International Foundation for fully supporting said partnership between the New Eyesight and Medical Center and the Jackson F. Doe hospital in the implementation of the project to make eye healthcare services accessible and affordable to people in that Part of Liberia. He further disclosed that the project objectives were met which includes infrastructure upgrades, Human resources development, appropriate technology and equipment and disease prevention and control.
Additionally, Mr. Dolo mentioned some major items that were included within the project turnover such as Land crusaders vehicle, motorbike, eye equipment, consumables, funds generated from the project, IT equipment with a functional open-source electronic medical record (EMR) 10KVA functional solar power instillation and office equipment.
Speaking at the gathering, the Acting Director of the National Eye Health Program at the Health ministry, Hiaka Hinneh extolled the New Eyesight and Medical Center for its continued contributions to the eye healthcare in Nimba County and beyond. Mr. Hinneh also encouraged the Jackson Fiah Doe Regional Referral Hospital to take ownership and continuity of care for the eye center long-term sustainability.
In remarks, the Chief Medical Officer at the Jackson Fiah Doe Regional Referral Hospital, Dr. Melvin Kabba-Kay, lauded the Lions Clubs International Foundation and partners for the timely intervention, and committed to keep the center efficient. Dr. Kabba-Kay mentioned that the Eye Center, which includes trained staff and modern equipment will be properly managed to enhance service delivery to both Liberians and foreign nationals.
Backgrounds of the Project
From 2020 to the official turning over of the Eye Center to the Jackson Fiah Doe Regional Referral Hospital in Tappita District, Lower Nimba County in 2025, NEMC has been operating two Eye Centers at Government-run Hospitals at the Jackson Fiah Doe Regional Referral Hospital in Tappita District and the Liberian Government Hospital in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
From 2021 up to the Eye Center turnover, New Eyesight and Medical Center including the eye center staff screened and treated 11,099 patients, performed 912 sight restoring eye surgeries, conducted 23 medical outreaches, 4 surgical outreaches, distributed 1,460 readers and prescriptions glasses.
The first Eye Center was opened in September 2019 at the Liberian Government runs Hospital in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County under the same private – public partnership program with support from the Lions Clubs International Foundation through the Lions Clubs of Liberia support.
About NEMC
New Eyesight and Medical Center is a Liberian private non-governmental organization registered 2009 with NGO Accreditation Certificate # MPEA/NGO/AC#0692 & Business Registration Enterprise Code 050846733 which was officially launched August 4, 2012, in Paynesville City, Montserrado County, Liberia.
The New Eyesight & Medical Center believes that an integrative eye health is vital to sustainable health care system, and it is a sure way to create easy access to quality eye health care service in rural communities.
With Lions Clubs International Foundation funding, which was in direct response to a project proposal developed and submitted by New Eyesight & Medical Center, the Center was able establish 2 secondary eye centers in rural Liberia: Grand Bassa and Nimba Counties for the Government of Liberia through a public private partnership. Plans are on the way to also turnover the Liberian Government hospital Eye Center in Buchana Grand Bassa County.
The NEMC also established an Annex in Central Liberia, specifically in Gbarnga City, Bong County. This was made possible through a grant from the Sagal Family Foundation and Pamodzi Philanthropy Advisors.
It is good to point out that New Eyesight and Medical Center is one of the only local eye health organizations making headways and impacting several individuals and governmental institutions in both rural and urban communities in Liberia.
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