Eyeworld

EW NEWS & OPINION 4 P ranav Amin, MD, Sutter North Medical Group, Yuba City, Calif., recently visited the ASCRS Founda- tion's Robert Sinskey Eye Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He gave an update on the project and a report on the overall status of the clinic. The original goals of the insti- tute were to provide quality eyecare to a needy community, train local ophthalmologists and staff to con- tinue care, and construct a facility that is able to deliver consistent care in the community. Dr. Amin's report indicated that all of these original goals have now been met success- fully. He said that one of the major improvements to the clinic has been the skill of its eye surgeons. There are consistently good outcomes on preselected phacoemulsification cases. "Staff is committed to handling many patients in a fine manner," Dr. Amin said, adding that the good reputation of the clinic has generated a lot of success, and the clinic is frequently crowded with patients wanting to be seen there. In addition to the success and excellence in the caregivers, Dr. Amin said that the facility is "ab- solutely outstanding," indicating that it is "better than any other eye center that offers reasonable cost care." Features of the clinic include multiple exam rooms and a large operating room that has space for three operating tables at the same time. The clinic also has a large waiting room and reception area, with good placement of its optical shop. Additionally, adequate equip- ment and instruments aid in the ability to treat patients. Despite immense success, Dr. Amin said there are bigger goals to work toward, including making the clinic even closer to U.S. standards. He listed a number of accom- plishments on his most recent trip to the clinic, including evaluating doctor skills and refining surgery techniques; initiating optometrist hiring; teaching techniques like chop, clear cornea, and trypan blue capsulorhexis advances; and evaluating workflow and different tools and equipment. Dr. Amin's report also looked at individual doctors, the facility, and equipment. He explained the roles of the doctors and their abilities and recommended what can be done to help retain doctors and optimize their abilities. He presented recom- mendations for rearranging the facility to maximize space and make conditions better for both patients and doctors. Dr. Amin mentioned the introduction of the iStent (Glaukos, Laguna Hills, Calif.) into the clinic to address glaucoma, which is a huge problem in Ethiopia, and he stressed the need for training in the skills needed to perform trabeculectomy. Finally, Dr. Amin praised the new optical shop at the clinic, which is well placed next to the waiting room. Dr. Amin said there are specific improvements that need to be ad- dressed. These include incentives for measurable performance for doctors and staff and deciding whether the clinic should remain a premier phaco teaching institute or a low- cost, high-volume center. "[In] my 7-year association as the chair of the humanitarian committee, I was given the goal to teach them phaco," Dr. Amin said. However, he said his role expanded to include fixing equipment, finding repair places, acquiring cheap sources of local suppliers, teaching scrub techs, helping workflow, and performing surgeries. EW Contact information Amin: eyedoktor@yahoo.com May 2014 by Ellen Stodola Update on ASCRS Foundation clinic in Ethiopia Lecturing with doctors to teach and train about ophthalmology. Source (all): Pranav Amin, MD Possibly the first iStent surgery in Africa was performed in February 2014 during Dr. Amin's visit. Dr. Amin (middle), chair of the Humanitarian Committee, with Dr. Zerihun and Dr. Allehone at the Robert Sinskey Eye Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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