Dr Emmanuel Oryem’s passion is halting the process of preventable sight loss whenever he can, wherever there are people in need. MAF’s privilege is to get him and his team to those people, and to witness them regain sight and have a chance at education.
“On the last day, after lunch, we were almost closing, and a boy walked in with bilateral cataracts,” he said. “With both eyes he couldn’t see. I operated both eyes and this morning we removed the bandages, and he could see!
Helping this patient was the highlight of the trip for Dr Emmanuel Oryem, who believes it is important to open not only eyes but horizons for children in South Sudan.
“The dad was emotional – I was just telling him, ‘Let the boy go to school!’ Whatever plans you have for him, you should know that education is important. Maybe one day he may become a doctor and do the same thing?’”.
The paediatric ophthalmologist flew with eight of his Ministry of Health colleagues to Yirol.
“We went to Yirol for ten days and saw over 1,800 patients who came with eye conditions ranging from allergies and refractive errors to blindness,” he said. “Those who needed surgery were picked from that number.
“In total we operated on 391 patients. Over 350 of these patients presented with cataracts,” he added.
Around one in ten of the patients were children, Dr Emmanuel explained, sharing some of the stories from the outreach – which was supported by Christian Blind Mission.
Thanks to MAF, we reach Yirol on time. We found more than 300 patients waiting for us. We screened those who needed surgery and started operating the same day.
Most cataract patients were older people who arrived at the hospital being led by children, who are their primary caregivers. When there is a positive outcome to the surgery, Dr Emmanuel is as happy for the young carers as the patients themselves.
“The jubilation is for the children and the caretakers because it’s just like freedom, you know? This person, whom you always had to lead around, that person can take care of themselves,” he said.
“We’ve seen people shedding tears! A young man, around 17 or 18 years old, was excited to see his grandma seeing things after her first operation. The grandmother was crying, and this young guy was crying too!
“We tell the patient, now this little girl or little boy should go back to school if possible. They have been assigned to take care of the elderly. But after the operation, why should they not live their life?” Dr Emmanuel said.
The paediatric ophthalmologist, who completed his training in 2024, is currently the only one practising in South Sudan. MAF flights help save precious travel time allowing Dr Emmanuel to make the most of his time on the ground.
The trip by road is anything from 4 hours to a full day of travel – and not without the risks that poor roads or insecurity present. The MAF flight, by comparison, is just one hour.
“For the majority of people, accessing eyecare is quite an issue, except through the outreaches we do,” Dr Emmanuel added. “In village clinics, they have the bare minimum – maybe tetracycline ointment – but beyond that, there is no-one to tell you this or that.
“It is not uncommon for people to walk for a day or two, staying overnight with relatives so they can be in line for treatment,” he said.
“Thanks to MAF, we reach Yirol on time around 9:30 or 10:00 am. We found more than 300 patients waiting for us. We screened those who needed surgery and started operating the same day.”
