CatarACT International, in partnership with Dr. Michael Gyasi, a leading Ghanaian ophthalmologist, has recently opened the North Western Eye Centre* in Accra, Ghana. The clinic is open on a preliminary basis and has begun to see patients for check ups and screenings. This centre will serve as CatarACT International's pilot clinic in Accra, which will eventually provide a high volume of cataract surgeries to patients from many surrounding areas. Dr. Gyasi, its director, has previously been the head of ophthalmology at Bawku Presbyterian Hospital and is also affiliated with the Emmanuel Eye Centre in Accra.
We at CatarACT International are in the business of developing vision--in people, in professions, in communities. This means fighting cataract and other types of blindness in West Africa by expanding access to care for those who need it most. It means equipping doctors and nurses and technicians with the resources to do their work effectively. It means partnering with towns and villages to help them build healthcare programs and infrastructure.
We believe that health care should be locally-run, community-based, and sustainable. These are values that are part of every one of our projects. Our team of students and young professionals from a variety of backgrounds works with local partners in India and Ghana to develop innovative healthcare programs and equip health professionals with the tools and resources they need to serve their patients. Starting with a high-volume, low-cost model for providing cataract surgeries and other eye services pioneered in Southern India, we are working to build sustainable clinics in West Africa. The pilot clinic in Accra is our first step towards creating a network of self-sustaining, interacting eye centres to meet the challenge of blindness in West Africa. We are applying developing world solutions to developing world problems and helping to empower people to change their lives and communities along the way.
To learn more about our work, check out the Projects section.
We are looking for committed volunteers to work with our organization in a variety of capacities, including program development, fundraising, technology, public relations, and recruitment. We have an open position on our Board of Directors for a Director of Development. If you think you have what it takes to help change the face of healthcare in West Africa, we look forward to reading your application.
Student brings CatarACT to Columbia. Columbia Spectator. November 10, 2009.
CatarACT International featured on Chicago Public Radio. WEBZ Chicago Public Radio. July 9, 2009.
Medical students act to cure blindness in the developing world.Ward Rounds. Fall 2008 (p. 26).
Student Visionaries Create Non-Profit Organization. Noteworthy, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. August 2008.
Battling Blindness Abroad. Daily Northwestern.April 21, 2008.
*The North Western Eye Centre of Accra, Ghana, has no affiliation, real or implied, with Northwestern University, the Feinberg School of Medicine, or related entities.
