ADDIS ABABA – As the diplomatic cooperation between Ethiopia and Israel is thriving through time, the latter’s high level medical delegation is in Addis Ababa conducting eye treatment to hundreds of Ethiopians.
Founder and Director of Operation Ethiopia, Prof. Morris Hartstein (MD) told the media yesterday that an Israeli medical delegation has been conducting examination and surgery for Ethiopian citizens who require serious eye treatment in Saint Paul’s and other hospitals.
“On this trip, we examined and treated hundreds of people including the Jewish community in Addis Ababa. In the last two days, we examined and treatedover 500 people,” he said.
Professor Hartstein, who is also Director of Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Shamir Medical Center ,expressed that the delegation would revisit the country and with an eye treatment.
“We like to resserve citizensume coming here four times a year to deliver eye care in Ethiopia and to continue provide training for Ethiopian medical doctors regarding complicated eye surgery and other techniques, ”he noted.
The delegation will head to Tigray to conduct cataract treatment to restore eyesight to 450 people blinded by dense untreated cataract, according to him.
“Our plan is, we want to expand to reach more people. We can deliver eye care and we would like to bring more teams from Israel,” Hartstein said.
In the next month, operation Ethiopia will conduct trachoma and DRC campaign in Desie area the director stated.
“Last time, we examined and treated 2,000 people in Gondar areas and gave them eye medication and for some we bring eye glasses,” he said.
Charge D’Affaires of Israel Embassy to Ethiopia, Tomer Bar-Lavi on his part said that Operation Ethiopia is led by Professor Morris Hartstein and he comes in Ethiopia few times every year with high level eye surgery medical doctors delegation from Israel to conduct much needed eye surgery for children and people of various ages in Ethiopia.
Bar-Lavi added that professor Hartstein activities here and Operation Ethiopia represent the very strong deep and bilateral relation between Ethiopia and Israel.
“Currently even if we are facing conflict and still our people is working hard to maintain and strengthen historical, strong bilateral bond between our two nations.”
As to Bar-Lavi, Operation Ethiopia and others Israelis are working hard in fields of medicine, development and agriculture. “It is important for people of Ethiopia to see that the strong people to people bond between our nations is continuing and sustain strong.”
BY MISGANAW ASNAKE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 21AUGUST 2024
