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Stuff from Johannesburg

Empowering optometrists to better diagnose eye health for the school children and communities of Gauteng

On 23 May we celebrated two beneficial eye health outcomes for the Province of Gauteng. Thirteen optometrists from five of the Gauteng Department of Health districts have recently completed the Ocular Diagnostics Course for Optometrists, enabling them to better serve Gauteng’s eye health needs. Their certificates will be presented to the optometrists at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), through the support of Standard Chartered Bank and the Seeing is Believing initiative.

A second event coincides today with the marking of the Gauteng Child Eye Health project, a public-private partnership between the Brien Holden Vision Institute, Standard Chartered Bank and the Gauteng Department of Health. The new project is also funded under the Seeing is Believing initiative and follows a significant history of collaborative work on similar comprehensive eye health projects in South Africa.

The successfully completed projects, Giving Sight to Soweto and Giving Sight to Gauteng, were implement and funded by the same public-private partnerships, and contributed significantly to the strengthening of the primary eye screening and refractive error service capacity within the Johannesburg Metro Health District.

According to Ingrid Metsing, HoD, UJ, Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Optometry: “Our department prides itself in the positive efforts and contributions that are made towards the improvement of the Optometry field in Gauteng. It is through such collaborations with other stakeholders that the Faculty of Health Sciences upholds the UJ values and shows commitment towards working together to make health systems work.”

Nurses have been capacitated to provide primary eye health services within the Integrated School Health program, and optometry services have been established through establishing eye clinics at secondary clinics. This included the integration of optometrists into these clinics, equipment provided and assistive devices dispensed at no cost to children. This support contributes to the reduction of avoidable vision impairment caused by uncorrected refractive error and low vision.

“I’m pleased that we, the Brien Holden Vision Institute are able to work with the Gauteng Department of Health and the Standard Chartered Bank to further our long journey of bringing access in eye health services closer to the communities of South Africa especially young children. The Gauteng province bear witness to all success stories in the fight against avoidable blindness, and we will continue to support such initiatives until we realise the vision for everyone everywhere,” commented Petronella Nichols, Africa Regional Director, Brien Holden Vision Institute.

The Giving Sight in Soweto project was one of the most successful projects embarked upon by the Gauteng Department of Health in partnership with the Brien Holden Vision institute which resulted in the establishment of 10 fully equipped Primary Eye Health Clinics and one new clinic (at final furnishing stages) in the Diepsloot area. “Through the initiative, the people of Soweto can access Eye Health Services and be seen by an optometrist within a walking distance. School Children are prioritised and do not have to wait for their spectacles which are issued free of charge,” said Virginia Mawela, the Manager for Eye Health Services in the Gauteng Department of Health.

Commenting on the collaboration, Geraldine Matchaba, Head of Corporate Affairs & Brand & Marketing, Standard Chartered Bank for South Africa said: “The Bank is delighted to witness yet another partnership with Brien Holden Vision Institute and the Gauteng Department of Health which will go a long way in providing the much-needed health care services in our communities. The Bank has been active in South Africa in eye health and avoidable blindness since 2007 through our global flagship sustainability programme called Seeing is Believing. We have delivered support to more than 1.5 million people through a contribution of about $2 million to the different projects in partnership with our local sight NGOs and the respective provincial departments of health.”

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Africa’s Economic Heartbeat and the JSE

Johannesburg is the undisputed financial capital of the African continent. It is classified as an “Alpha Global City,” meaning it plays a primary role in the global economic network. The city generates roughly 16% of South Africa’s GDP and is the headquarters for 74% of the major multinational companies operating in Sub-Saharan Africa.

At the center of this economic power is the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). Founded in 1887, just one year after the city’s birth, the JSE was initially a way to raise capital for deep-level mining. Today, it is the largest stock exchange in Africa and ranks among the top 20 in the world by market capitalization. The financial district has moved from the historic city center to Sandton, an area often called “Africa’s Richest Square Mile.” This shift reflects Johannesburg’s evolution from a rough-and-tumble mining camp into a sophisticated service-and-finance economy. Despite the decline in actual mining, the city remains the “command and control” center for the continent’s mineral wealth, telecommunications, and banking sectors.