Brief report of 2018 -Africa Eye Health Cooperation Forum

(22 August, Shenyang, China)

2018 China-Africa Eye Health Cooperation Forum was hosted by National Health

Commission of P.R. China and co-organized by Orbis International, International

Council of (ICO), African Ophthalmology Council (AOC), He Eye

Specialists Hospital (HESH) and China National Training Base for Prevention and

Treatment. The forum was held at China National Convention Center (CNCC) at 18th

August, 2018.

Nearly 100 ophthalmological experts from International Association for Prevention of

Blindness (IAPB), ICO and ophthalmological society of African countries, representatives from international NGOs and ophthalmologists of the countries alongside ‘The Belt and Road’ attended the forum.

President Wei He pointed out that ‘helping Africa is the process of growth on both training and studying. Our medical team and research team will get own self-development, as well as the training ability’.

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(President Wei He, was interviewed by CCTV)

(2018 China-Africa Eye Health Cooperation Forum)

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2018 China-Africa Eye Health Cooperation Forum was one of the forums of

China-Africa Health Cooperation. The forum was themed by ‘Sight for Africa’ and discussions were regarding prevention of blindness, aiming at concluding the latest results, strategies and opportunities of different countries on prevention of blindness.

It is suggested that we should integrate multiple resources, in order to jointly solve the problems of blindness in Africa. Dr. Yong Feng, Deputy Director of International

Cooperation Department, National Health Commission, pointed out that National

Health Commission will provide continue supports to eye health cooperation between

China and Africa.

(2018 China-Africa Eye Health Cooperation Forum)

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(Wei He, President of HESH, ICO Board of Trustee Member, and president of the Forum made a speech)

(Yong Feng, Deputy Director of International Cooperation Department, National Health Commission, made a speech)

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(Bob Ranck, CEO of Orbis International, Co-chair of the Forum, made a speech)

(Kgao Legodi, Vice-president of ICO, President of AOC, Co-chair of the Forum, made a speech)

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(János Németh, Regional Chair of IAPB Europe made a speech)

(Aaron Magava, Regional Chair of IAPB Africa made a speech)

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After 2018 China-Africa Eye Health Cooperation Forum, 11 representatives from different countries came to Shenyang to visit He University and HESH.

(Representatives were testing the independent-developed intelligent eye-disease screening system and artificial intelligence system)

At HESH, all representatives explained the challenges of prevention of blindness in their own country, as well as the opportunities that the two sides could target at in the future.

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HESH signed Memorandum Of Understanding with Ethiopian Society of

Ophthalmology, Ghana Society of Ophthalmology, Rwanda Ophthalmology Society,

Ophthalmological Society of , College of Ophthalmologist for Eastern,

Central and Southern Africa, and University of .

As the China National Training Base for Prevention and Treatment which is appointed by National Health Commission of P.R. China, HESH, on behalf of China, will export

‘capability trainings, technologies, precision medicine initiative and poverty alleviation model’ on the area of ophthalmology to African countries.

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HESH planned to build a tele-medicine system which could cover the whole Africa in the future 5 years, and provide trainings and technologies to Africa. Moreover, HESH promised to build an African own medical team, by personnel cultivating, technology exporting and prevention of blindness mode constructing under the platform of China

National Training Base for Prevention and Treatment as well as He University. It will finally improve the capability of African countries on prevention of blindness and promote the construction of ‘The Belt and Road’.

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(Kgao Legodi, Vice-president of ICO, President of AOC communicated with Yinbai Mao, deputy director of Shenyang Health and Family Planning Commission)

Kgao Legodi, Vice-president of ICO, President of AOC said at the meeting, the generally inadequate capability of ophthalmologists is the most server issue in Africa.

He appreciated HESH could provide training to African ophthalmologists and hoped

HESH’s advanced medical technology could assist more people in Africa. Besides, he expressed his thanks for the strong support and significant contributions given by

Chinese government.

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Attachment: Keynote speakers’ information

No Name Brief Intro.

1 János Németh - Regional Chair of IAPB Europe

- ICO Member of the Board of Trustees

- Full time Professor of Ophthalmology Department, Semmelweis University

2 Aaron Magava - Regional Chair of IAPB Africa

- Former Co-chair of IAPB Southern Africa

- Former Zimbabwe National Eye Care Coordinator

3 Bob Ranck - CEO of Orbis International

- Retired from the US Air Force as a Brigadier General in 2012

- Former Senior Vice President of Government Programs & Sales at Gulfstream

Aerospace

4 Kgaogelo Edward - Vice President for ICO

Moleke Legodi - President of African Ophthalmology Council

- President of World Ophthalmology Congress 2020

- AAO Trust Board Member

5 Jennifer Chen - Asia Lead of CLEARLY

- Board member and senior advisor to Bring Me a Book ; Social Impact

Partners, and the OneSky Foundation.

6 Kunle Hassan - ICO Board member

- ICO Advocacy Coordinator for Africa

- Immediate past President of AOC

- Founder of Eye Foundation Hospital Group, and the Deseret Community Vision

Institute

7 Deon Minnies - Director of the Community Eye Health Institute in the Faculty of Health Sciences

of the University of Cape Town

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- Visiting Professor of He University

8 Wei He - President of He Eye Specialists Hospitals and He University

- Member of the CPPCC National Committee

- Expert of the central committee's "One Thousand Talents Program"

- ICO Member of the Board of Trustees

- ICO Member of the Eye Health Committee

- Deputy leader of the National Blind-prevention Technology Steering Group

9 Sabrina Duquesnoy - Sales Manager from Adaptica (Italy)

- Adaptica: founded in 2009. Specialize in adaptive opticas and optoelectronics. In

health-care, focus on eye care. Develop and manufacture samrt, mobile, easy to

use diagnostric pieces of equipment that distributed in over 40 countries worldwide.

10 Wanjiku Ciku - ICO Member of the Board of Trustees

Mathenge - Lead Trainer of Trainers for the College of Ophthalmology of East Central and

Southern Africa

- Visiting Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Rwanda - Honorary

Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu

- Honorary Lecture at University of Cape Town

Main participants from government

1 Yong Feng Deputy Director of International Cooperation Department,

National Health Commission

2 Qianyun Wang Deputy Director of African (Foreign Aid) Division, International Cooperation

Department, National Health Commission

3 Yinbai Mao Deputy Director of Shenyang Health and Family Planning Commission

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