Magrabi eye hospital: Visiting Africa Eye Foundation Chairman says facility beacon of hope in CEMAC.

This was during a visit of board members of the Africa Eye Foundation to MICEI, located in Oback, Okola Subdivision, Lekie Division of the Centre Region, Tuesday May 6.

The visit which saw him inspect facilities of the hospital, culminated in a ceremony chaired by the Divisional Officer, DO, of Okola, Aboubakar Moussa, on behalf of the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, of Lekie Division, Patrick Simou Kamsu. The MICEI, launched in 2017, was founded by Dr Akef El Maghraby. 

Speaking at the event, the visiting Africa Eye Foundation president said over 15 years ago, his family made a solemn commitment to build a state-of-the-art eye institute in Cameroon. 

The commitment, he stated, was driven by a bold vision to deliver world class eye care to all regardless of ability to pay, and to train the next generation of eye health professionals for Cameroon and Central Africa. 

“Through the collective efforts of our exceptional team, MICEI has become a true centre of excellence, not just in Cameroon but across Central Africa,” the foundation president said. 

He saluted the entire staff for their dedication, teamwork, resilience even in the face of challenges. 

“I extend my deep gratitude to each and everyone of you. From the management team with special thanks to Dr Nkumbe and every staff member who has worked here and attended to our patients,” he said. 

Hails milestone achieved

According to Amin Mohamed Akef El-Maghraby, the continuous efforts of the personnel has steadily created a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals.

Enumerating the remarkable milestones achieved at MICEI, the foundation president said over 450,000 eye consultations have been made with more than 85,000 treated free of charge. He added that over 30,000 life altering surgeries have been conducted. 

“These numbers represent real people, real families and real futures,” he stressed.

During the event, six members of the MICEI staff received medals from the State for their dedication and efforts in delivering eye health services. The State medals were affixed by the Divisional Officer of Okola.

For such recognition, Akef El-Maghraby congratulated the staff members for having, “received national medals, an honour from the government of Cameroon. A deeply deserved recognition that testifies to the extraordinary quality and dedication that defines MICEI”. 

He also expressed his commitment to broadening MICEI’s reach, deepen its impact and ensuring that the hospital stands out.

“We are not just operating a hospital; we are re-writing the future of eye health in Africa. Restoring lives, igniting hope and meaningfully contributing to the betterment of the beautiful country of Cameroon,” he stressed.  

Enter MICEI CEO

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of MICEI, Dr Henry Nkumbe praised the founder for his thriving vision of ending needless blindness in sub-Saharan Africa.

He mentioned that the visit of the Africa Eye Foundation board members is an opportunity to present them the achievement, challenges and future plans of MICEI. Dr Nkumbe also applauded them for the sacrifice and vision of creating the hospital.

If MICEI has become a true centre of excellence, the CEO stressed, that, it is thanks to the contribution of staff, partners and managerial board of the Africa Eye Foundation.

He then recommitted to continually make thrives to create impacts in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across Africa.

Dr Nkumbe equally paid tribute to the leadership of the current Africa Eye Foundation board members under whose stewardship the hospital has become a medical tourist destination in Africa

He revealed that some 14,000 complex eye surgeries have conducted since the launch of the hospital, eight years ago. In addition, some 210 eyecare professionals, he added, have been trained at MICEI from over 10 African countries.

According to Dr Nkumbe, those trained at MICEI have equally gone on to perform thousands of surgeries and further trained other cataract surgeons. He insisted that the fight against avoidable blindness in sub-Saharan Africa is a fight that need the commitment of all.