Officials from the US government and St. John Eye Hospital celebrating the completion of Improving Eye Care Services project.

JERUSALEM, December 22, 2016 (WAFA) – St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem and USAID completed on Wednesday a $2 million project aimed at providing eye care to Palestinians in remote areas of the West Bank, according to a joint USAID-St. John hospital press release.

Improving Eye Care Services project, launched since 2013, allowed St. John Eye Hospital to expand access to eye care services for patients throughout the West Bank and Gaza. It is part of a broader US government effort to improve health care services for Palestinians, said the release.

This $2 million project assisted the hospital in delivering enhanced health care services for Palestinians by supporting the hospital’s mobile outreach and introducing an electronic health information system to improve the quality of service.

The mobile outreach van is fully equipped with specialized medical equipment to screen patients for a variety of eye diseases. It makes routine visits to remote locations across the West Bank to raise eye health awareness.

In addition, the outreach staff provides primary care services, medication, and refers patients with complicated eye problems to St. John Eye Hospital or one of its satellite clinics. Under this grant, the mobile outreach van examined and screened more than 34,700 patients.

"Today marks the closing of a successful project between St. John Eye Hospital and the U.S. Government," said U.S. Consul General Donald Blome.  "It also marks the continuation of an historical partnership. I am pleased to note the United States Government, through USAID, will continue our partnership with St. John to ensure that Palestinians have access to truly excellent health care."

Brigadier Tom Ogilvie-Graham, CEO of the St. John Eye Hospital Group, noted that “this project has largely supported the hospital’s mission in increasing the accessibility and affordability of essential ophthalmic care to vulnerable Palestinians in prevention of avoidable blindness.”
USAID invests in the Palestinian health sector by building and renovating health facilities, providing medical equipment, training health providers, and introducing electronic information systems.  Since 2008, USAID investments have impacted more than 270 medical facilities benefiting more than 700,000 people.

M.K.