The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness has officially launched the newly renovated Eye Clinic at Eerste River Hospital, marking a major step forward in community eye care services.

The unveiling ceremony celebrated the transformation of the clinic into a state-of-the-art ophthalmic facility, made possible through generous contributions from The Gift of the Givers and the Radiance Foundation.

“This is the fourth time I’m supporting this hospital, and it is because of their excellence. I appreciate and acknowledge the work done in this hospital. Dr Steven and his teams are doing amazing work,” said Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, Founder of the Gift of the Givers.

“Ubuntu is in our genetics, and we have travelled to many countries and so our medical skills are untouchable.”

“We are a world-class organisation that supports hospitals like Eerste River Hospital. This partnership is a result of a good relationship I have with the executive of the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness and of course the management of this hospital.”

The event also marked two major anniversaries: 20 years of service by the Eerste River Eye Clinic and ten years of collaboration with the Radiance Foundation. These milestones highlight the clinic’s continued commitment to improving eye health in the region.

“Today, our vision has been put to action,” said Dr Adele Anthony, acting CEO of Eerste River Hospital. We would like to thank the Gift of the Givers and the Radiance Foundation for their special contribution to our patient-centered revamped eye clinic.”

Among the guests was eye clinic patient Miranda Smouse, who spoke about the personal impact the clinic has had on her and her family.

“As a vision-impaired mother, my experience in this hospital has been great and I appreciate this eye clinic very much. I feel part of the family in this hospital and they take good care of me,” she said.

“I am from the Delft area, and whenever I’m here, I receive kind help and treatment. Because of the love I receive here, I am going to go out there and help the kids from my area. My daughter also gets assistance from this hospital, and she was only nine years old when she started coming.”

Over the past two decades, the clinic has provided essential specialised eye care, and the recent renovations signal a new era of enhanced service delivery. Dr David Steven, ophthalmologist at the clinic, noted how the upgrades have allowed for a substantial increase in capacity.

“Gift of the Givers is always willing to support this hospital. Dr Sooliman asked me how many cataracts I would like to do, and I gave him a realistic plan which included our Saturday clinics. Six months later renovations started and to date, we have increased the number of cataract surgeries from the 2,400 patients that we were doing per year,” said Dr Steven.

tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus 

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