Dr. Shailendra Sugrim is Head of the Ophthalmology Department at our partner Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) He specializes in glaucoma and also coordinates the Guyana Diabetic Retinopathy Program, aimed at improving care for diabetic patients in the country.
Dr Sugrim joined us on our Flying Eye Hospital program to Barbados where he benefited from skills-sharing and mentorship from some of the best in the business, particularly glaucoma specialist and first-time Orbis volunteer faculty Dr. Malik Kahook.
Gallery: Dr. Shailendra Sugrim training with Orbis
Inspired by Orbis, he told us his department back home is now being a lot more proactive - introducing more outreach programs and screenings, as well as patient education, public awareness and training.
He told us: “I've been working hard towards improving the service at the hospital. We offer a lot more services now than before. I've been pushing towards the administration in terms of bringing equipment and having more training.”
“A lot of training has been going on over the past few years. So in the next five years we expect that we will eventually have a vitreoretinal service. We want to expand the diabetic retinopathy program.”
“Personally, I will still be there working to enhance and improve the service at the public hospital. And I plan to have more of our nurses trained to improve the service. "
He credits Orbis for all the support and training: "Orbis has been very helpful in terms of introducing the counseling aspect of patient care."
"Sometimes you need a little kick start. When you have a faculty they can help you a lot and clear up whatever misgivings or misconceptions you have and they boost your confidence."
Thank you Dr. Sugrim for revolutionizing eye health services and bringing high quality eye care to the people of Guyana. Your dedication to changing the way your country sees is truly inspiring.
Help our volunteers fight blindness in communities around the world
