Ophthalmology

The LVPEI-Liberia connection

Her Excellency Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the then president of the Republic of Liberia, paid a state visit to India from September 9-13, 2013. During the visit, Madam Sirleaf also visited the L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, having seen the infrastructure and services offered, Madam Sirleaf requested Dr. Gullapalli Nageswar Rao, the founder and then Chair of the LVPEI, to help Liberia set-up an eyecare system. After the invitation by the President, a team from LVPEI visited Liberia several times, and after a series of discussions, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was developed between the key stakeholders – the Government of Liberia, the national referral center John F. Kennedy Medical Center (JFKMC) located at Monrovia and the LVPEI.

As per Institute policy, all these services are provided to all patients who come to us, irrespective of their ability to pay and the complexity of the problem.

The Institute Programs

Visiting Faculty Program

Visiting faculty program was initiated to bring in high-quality sub-specialty care for difficult cases. Once a month, a senior faculty member from LVPEI India, from different sub-specialties like cornea, retina, and glaucoma, visited LEC to perform complex surgical procedures like corneal transplantation which are scarcely available in the sub-region.

Residency Program

In August 2018, a residency program in Ophthalmology was started at the LEC, to train local doctors. The program is structured in such a way that they spend 9 months a LVPEI-LEC, Monrovia, and 3 months in LVPEI, Hyderabad, India. So far four Ophthalmologists have graduated from this program and six resident doctors are under training.

Use of Electronic Medical Records (EMR)

Using electronic medical records (EMR) I another distinct feature of our program. We are perhaps one of the few centers in the sub-region where EMR has been used seamlessly over the years without interruption. Apart from streamlining patient care, it also helps to make systems more transparent and accountable.

JFKMC’s doctors are trained in the structure and function of the eye (ophthalmologists and optometrists) and are experts in treating all types of vision and eye conditions. Many people come to our eye Clinic when their condition is unusual or complex. You may come to us on your own or with a referral from your primary care doctor, ophthalmologist or optometrist. JFKMC eye experts work with a multidisciplinary team of specialists who collaborate to provide exactly the care you need.