COMMUNITY SERVICES

Eye Screening programme in rural areas carried out in Mobile Eye Clinic In line with one of the Hospital's mission statement, community services are high on the Hospital's list of priorities. Since its inception in 1986, community services have been one of the pillars of strength of our Hospital and our Community Services Programme are designed and organized to meet the needs of the whole spectrum of society. The Hospital regularly organizes public fora on various eye blinding diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, eye injuries, cataract, to create public awareness on the importance of eye care and treatment In addition to this, the hospital also holds free eye screening for the public from time to time in community centres, schools and even in prisons.

Patients operated in the Mobile Eye Operation Theatre

The Hospital has collaboration with Welfare Department, Wilayah Persekutuan to maximize eye care assistance to the needy and schedule of vision screening visits have been worked out to include senior citizens, needy families, welfare homes, homes operated by NGOs,eg. Children’s homes, old folks home, homes for the handicapped linked with Welfare Department. Any senior citizens under welfare aid and found to need cataract operation, this is borne by the Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur and the Hospital under its ‘Save a Sight a Week’ Project.

The Hospital also works closely with the LIONS Club District 308B2 under the “Sight First” Project.

The Hospital also works closely with the Yayasan Pelajaran Islam under its ‘I Care Vision 20/20’ Project. Under this project, Eye Test Seminars are conducted for kindergarten teachers from the Persatuan Tadika Malaysia, who are trained to detect early signs of eye defects and undertake simple vision screening tests with the use of basic eye test charts.

School children being assessed for refractive errors. Under the “I Care Vision 20/20” the procurement of Mobile Eye Clinic and Mobile Eye Operating Theatre which is fully equipped, provides eye care assessment, treatment and cataract surgeries to the rural population where accessibility to eyecare is remote. Communities within Klang valley are brought over to the hospital and rendered services. Patient's welfare fund Since 1994,a Patient's welfare fund was set up for providing financial assistance to poor and needy patients requiring eye surgery even to the extent of full subsidy. The Patients are interviewed prior to subsidy being given and they are entitled to same services as any other full fee paying patients.

Mobile Eye Clinic – Mata Sayang 1 Datuk Abdullah Ahmad Badawi visiting the Mobile Eye Clinic during the launch in 1998 A child being examined by an Eye Specialist in the Mobile Eye Clinic

Queen Elizabeth II visits the Mobile Eye Clinic Queen Elizabeth II being briefed on the equipment available in Mobile Eye Clinic Mobile Eye Operation Theatre – Mata Sayang 2

Operating table in the Mobile Eye Operation Theatre Eye operation in progress in Mobile Eye Operation Theatre THONEH’ Community Services Branch Clinic in Jalan Telipot, Kota Bahru

Cheque presentation on World Sight Day 2005 Participated in TM’s first Occupational Health and Safety 2005 exhibition and health talk to their staff and tenants at Menara TM offering free eye test and advice.

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES FOR 2008

JANUARY

• 5th,6th,7th – Kepala Batas (Eye screening)
• 25th,26th,27th – Tanah Merah,Kelantan(Eye screening)

FEBRUARY

• 2nd - Eye Seminar for Pre-School Teachers (NIO Auditorium)

MARCH

• 2nd - Kampung Kayu Ara (Eye screening)
• 8th - Eye Seminar for Pre-School Teachers (NIO Auditorium)
• 9th - Blind Leading The Blind Walk & Eye Screening (Civic Centre, PJ)
• 16th - Carey Island (Eye screening)
• 22nd - Eye Seminar for Pre-School Teachers (NIO Auditorium)
• 29th & 30th - Segamat, Johore (Eye screening)

APRIL

• 6th - Pahang(Eye screening)
• 12th - Eye Seminar for Pre-School Teachers (NIO Auditorium)
• 19th & 20th - Segamat, Johore(Eye surgery)
• 26th - Eye Seminar for Pre-School Teachers (NIO Auditorium)

MAY

• 3rd & 4th - Alor Setar, Kedah (Eye screening)
• 10th - Eye Seminar for Pre-School Teachers (NIO Auditorium)
• 17th & 18th - Pontian (Eye screening)
• 31st - Pontian (Eye surgery)

JUNE

• 1st - Pontian (Eye surgery)
• 14th - Eye Seminar for Pre-School Teachers (NIO Auditorium)
• 15th - Kuala Selangor (Eye screening)
• 21st & 22nd - Alor Setar, Kedah (Eye surgery)
• 28th - Eye Seminar for Pre-School Teachers (NIO Auditorium)

• Note: Dates are subject to changes

LOW VISION CLINIC

The Hospital together with the Malaysian Association for the Blind run a Low Vision Clinic which is situated in the MAB Complex in Brickfields. This clinic provides services to the partially blind including assessing the extend of low vision, prescribing and supplying low vision devices, training in the use of low vision devices, referral and counseling.

The Optometrist from THONEH conducts a weekly session in this clinic for patients referred by outside ophthalmologists. School children from Special School also are screened in this clinic.

MAB FAMILY CLINIC

The Hospital in collaboration with the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB), set up a Family Clinic in July 2001 at the MAB Complex, Brickfields. The Clinic is staffed and supported fully by the Hospital as one of its community services projects. This clinic provides free medical care and treatment for the blind and their families.

A full-time general practitioner not only treats the blind patients for common ailments and also manages the patients who have long term medical conditions, eg. Diabetes, hypertension, asthma, etc. A volunteer gynaecologist and paediatrician are also available in the clinic. These volunteer specialists give advice on family planning, management and treatment on gynaecological conditions, and specialised care and treatment to the children of the blind.

The Family Planning Dept./Unit, Wilayah Persekutuan also supports this clinic by way of giving consumables to the gynaecology clinic. Gribbles Laboratory provides free lab tests for blind patients referred from this clinic.
The GP Clinic plays an integral part of the life of the blind patients and their family. The Hospital is committed to care of the visually handicapped or impaired thereby providing a wide range of services for the blind community.

The number of patients screened in the Mobile Eye Clinic since 1998 until 2007:

DETAILS OF COMMUNITY SERVICES DONE