Fully equipped modern optical skills laboratory for eye sight Opened at Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital

The Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital has opened a fully equipped modern optical skills laboratory for eye sight check-up and examination.

The high-tech optical laboratory was constructed by One Sight Zambia at a total cost of 3.5 million Kwacha.

Levy Mwanawasa Medical University Vice Chancellor Prof. Evelyn Chomba cited that the construction of the optical skills laboratory will ultimately culminate into efficient delivery of high-quality eye care services to the Zambian people.

Prof. Chomba added that the laboratory will improve the training of students in the refraction of eye care services in a way that is in line with the goal of producing highly qualified competent eye care health professionals.

“I commend One Sight Zambia for the construction of a laboratory that will solidify our mission to educate health professionals by using hands on and competence-based trends, and the emphasis there is hands on because that’s what we do in the laboratory,” she said

And One Sight Zambia Global President and Executive Director K-T Overbey highlighted that in order to develop a very important partnership focused on a common mission of helping everyone across Zambia to see clearly, One Sight Zambia working together with its partners will ensure that all Zambians have the opportunity to have their eyes examined and get the right spectacles that they need and deserve.

“This will help students learn better, adults and workers be more productive and provide for their families and contribute to their communities, it helps to make our roads safer as drivers can see clearly,” she said

She added that this will not only ensure that people have their eyes properly checked but it will also ensure that quality of care across the country continues, because this lab will enable all students and others caring for eyes to be able to practice and support the mission of the teaching hospital with hands-on experience and learning.

Meanwhile Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Administration Dr. George Magwende said that the launch of the advanced skills laboratory that comes with high tech equipment and furniture is highly appreciated and will surely be treasured not only by the hospital but by the Ministry of Health, as it will go a long way in improving eye health care in the country.

Dr. Magwende noted that the availability of this advanced equipment in the Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital is a provision of refining eye care services which will greatly benefit the Zambian citizens as the equipment will enable the hospital to operate at an optimal level and provide affordable eye wear to referred clients which is something that the Zambian people deserve.

“The optical skills lab will assist the hospital in providing all citizens with access to consistency high quality eye care and eye wear of Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital as a referral centre,” he said

He indicated that this generous contribution has been made possible by our all-weather partner One Sight Zambia which has been operating in Zambia since 2016 when they signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health to support the government with improving eye care services across all the provinces in the country.

He added that the partnership with One Sight Zambia is of great benefit to the people, as One Sight Zambia employs sustainable models that provide permanent access to affordable and high-quality vision care to the Zambian people through working with the Ministry of Health.

“These locally termed initiatives are long term investments where One Sight provides the technical support, products and equipment whilst government provides personnel and space where eye units are established,” he said

Dr. Magwende explained that the handover of the optical skills laboratory is very important to Zambia as it is a signatory to Vision 2020 the right to sight, this initiative is a global campaign by World Health Organisation (WHO), that aims at galvanising support and effort towards elimination, avoidable and reversible blindness throughout the world especially in developing countries such as Zambia by the year 2020 which is now two years.