Israel Provides Care to Sudanese

Israel Provides Eye-care Treatment for South Sudanese Refugees in Kenya

Over the past few months the Center for International Cooperation (MASHAV) at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been in touch with the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Nairobi to offer assistance to South Sudanese refugees at the Kakuma refugee camp in Northern Kenya. The Kakuma camp, located in Kenya about 50 kilometers from the Sudanese border, houses over 75,000 people, mostly South Sudanese refugees.

Dr. Yossi Baratz, MASHAV’s medical projects coordinator in Africa in cooperation with the UNHCR set up a temporary eye clinic near the camp utilizing medical material purchased beforehand by MASHAV. The clinic serves as the base for two Israeli ophthalmologists Dr. Drora Zarfati from Ha’Emek Hospital in Afula and Dr. Nir Zaider from Rambam Hospital in Haifa, who arrived on a two-week mission on July 2nd, 2007, to perform eye-sight restoring surgical procedures, and treat ocular diseases.

For many years MASHAV has been conducting blindness prevention and eye-care missions in partner countries. These missions, designed to treat patients suffering from various degrees of blindness and ocular disease, are undertaken by teams of 2 Israeli ophthalmologists and operate on the premises of local hospitals or clinics. Hundreds of surgical procedures are performed by the visiting Israeli teams which work together with local staff, restoring sight to many of the patients. Israeli ophthalmologists also train the local personnel, and ophthalmologic equipment and supplies are donated by the Government of Israel.