One of the country’s leading experts in eye care, Dr Abraham Varghese, manager of the provincial eye-care programme of the Mpumalanga Department of Health, recently received a prestigious national award for community services from the South African Medical Association (Sama).

The event was held at the International Convention Centre in Durban. Varghese is also the convener of Nelspruit Lions Club Eye Care Projects and has a close working relationship with the community.

He represented Mpumalanga in the National Vision 2020 Prevention of Blindness Forum and Bureau for the Prevention of Blindness committee meetings and is the president of the Sama Lowveld branch.

He was previously presented with a Health Professional Council of South Africa (HPCSA) National Excellence in Health Care Award, provincial MEC’s excellence in health-care prize and Lions Club International president’s award, for his commitment, passion and dedication to eye-care work among the less fortunate.

In 2004 he received a letter of appreciation from the former president, Mr Thabo Mbeki, in which he congratulated his team on its good work during Eye Care Week and World Sight Day.

In 2007 he received a public service innovator of the year award, for the idea of serving the rural community at pension pay points and taxi ranks.

He is passionate about helping the needy and has dedicated his life to it. “Our plan is to make sure we give our patients a full eye check-up.

We came up with the idea of telling them that if they come for eye check-up, they would receive free spectacles, which works quite well,” said Varghese.

“I remember we once operated on an old woman who was over 100 years old, she had given up on receiving her sight and watching her joy at seeing again, brought fulfillment to my heart.”

In the quest to make a difference, he and his team helped thousands of poor people through their projects which offer free cataract operations and spectacles, including building a house for a blind family, complete with a vegetable garden, an initiative with the support of the Lions Club.

“I have seen people who never thought they would have their sight restored, dance, leap and hug doctors when they open their eyes and realise they can see. One woman saw her husband of several years, for the very first time after her cataract operation.

“Through sponsors he managed to negotiate the establishment of permanent eye centres for Ermelo and Middelburg hospitals. Ermelo has launched a first low-care vision centre in the public sector. 

During this year another eye-care centre was launched at Embhuleni Hospital, which was sponsored by Nkomati Mines, Machadodorp.