Eye department at Dominica China Friendship Hospital to give in-patient & surgical services by July 2022

The government of Dominica declared to establish a new eye-care department at the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital in Roseau. The ophthalmology department will provide in-patient and surgical services by July 2022. The goal was brought much closure to reality with a donation of EC$ 80,000 worth of eye and heart care equipments from the People's Republic of China. With the new equipment donation, the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital is coupled with innovations in diagnosing eye conditions.

As per the officials, the department is hoping to deal with issues such as diabetic retinopathy.

CEO of the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital, Dr Dextar James, said that the department is well on its way to fulfilling its vision as a centre of excellence in eye care.

"It was only a few months ago that the department collaborated with researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to carry out a landmark study and successfully validated the use of Artificial Intelligence for diagnosing diabetic retinopathy," said Dr James.

He said the achievement would undoubtedly expand access to more efficient, cost-effective screening of patients across Dominica. He said diabetic retinopathy would mitigate the cases where some patients face blindness due to diabetes.

Furthermore, he stated that the staff at all seven health districts would also be trained.

Dr Hazel Shallingford, Head of the Ophthalmology Department, stated that the new eye theatre gives the ability to conduct operations six days a week while earlier only one person could receive eye surgery in a week due to lack of space.

The officials also applauded the People's Republic of China for the donation of medical equipment and said it a symbol of strong ties between the two countries.

Pan Zhanonou- First Secretary of the Chinese Embassy, stated that his country has always assisted Dominica in the healthcare department. He said China helped heavily during the pandemic by providing testing kits, COVID-19 vaccines and face masks.