Botswana
The agreement was formalised with the Botswana Ministry of Health & Wellness in 2009. Our longest cooperation is in ophthalmology, which has developed into a nationwide project working in close cooperation with the National Eye Health Programme.
We are also working with Batswana colleagues on maxillofacial surgery, and on developing specialist neonatal and ophthalmic nurse training.
In recent years the partnership has broadened to support the Ministry of Health’s nation-wide programme to screen for and prevent avoidable blindness, in collaboration with Seeing is Believing, Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital of India, and the VISION 2020 LINKS Programme. 90% of the world’s visually impaired population are in low- and middle-income countries. Many causes for the loss of sight are preventable and can be cured through surgery. You can read more about our work on eye health in our ten-year report.
“Collaboration and dialogue with medical professionals overseas enables a broader perspective of the needs of less well-off populations, fosters understanding, particularly when treating migrants here in the UK, and leads to a greater appreciation of the NHS… Second hand descriptions are no substitute for being there.”
Peter Gough GP, Cambridge Global Health Partnerships Advisory Committee member and volunteer