The President of the Republic, Mr Danny Faure, received visiting consultant from the Swiss-based Teaching Eye Surgery (TES) Foundation, Professor Cyrus Tabatabay. He was accompanied by TES financial partners, representatives of Save our Seas Foundation, and senior Ministry of Health Officials for a courtesy call at State House this morning.

During the meeting, the delegation briefed the President on the successful outcomes of the eye-care collaboration project being led by TES Foundation, which has resulted in the donation of various state-of-the-art equipment, capacity building opportunities for local health professionals, and the successful execution of numerous complex eye surgeries locally. With the specialised eye surgeries being conducted locally Seychelles has not only benefited from the minimised cost of overseas treatment but in also exposing local health officials with the possibility to further upgrade their skills.

The meeting was also an opportunity to further discuss future plans as part of the next phase of the project with the collaboration of key partners, that will allow for the development of a long term partnership and the strategic sustainability of quality eyecare services provided by the Ministry of Health in Seychelles.

The President expressed his sincere appreciation to Professor Tabatabay for the excellent work done by TES Foundation and the team in relation to eye care, and for its commitment and continued support in ensuring the cooperation in this domain is maintained for the benefit of the Seychellois people.

“On behalf of Government and the people of Seychelles I would like to convey my sincere thanks to you and all the partners involved, for this collaboration and for working closely with our Ministry to ensure the quality of eyecare provided for our people is improved. This partnership also ensures emphasis is placed on other components such as prevention and early detection,” said President Faure.

Also present for the meeting at State House was the Minister for Health, Mr Jean-Paul Adam, the CEO of the Health Care Agency, Dr Danny Louange, Save our Seas Foundation representatives Mr Laurent Moser and Mr Suliman, and Dr Roland Barbe, Consultant in Charge of Ophthalmology Unit. Nurses at the Ministry of Health, Mrs Marie France Chang Tk tue, Ms Beryl Arnephy and Mrs Elizabeth Hoareau, were also present.

In a press conference after the meeting, the delegation shared highlights of the projects and key aspects of the eye care partnership.