Private Healthcare Awards 2020

24 GHP / 2020 Private Healthcare Awards , Dr Choksey Albinism Foundation All over the world today, there are people of all ages who suffer from the effects of diseases such as albinism. If untreated, these individuals can spend their lives with uncorrected refractive errors in their sight, presenting real visual challenges. One outstanding ophthalmologist fromKenya has taken it upon herself to reach out and assist those living with albinism, especially children. To find out what makes Dr Choksey AlbinismFoundation truly worthy winners, we took a closer look. Established and run in Kenya, Dr Choksey Albinism Foundation is a charitable trust that is solely aimed at reaching out to people with the offer of assistance to those living with albinism, especially young children. Nobody should live without dignity and honour; that is the core belief behind Dr Choksey and her team. Ensuring that everyone has the chance to live a life that is full of dignity and honour is the mission, one which the foundation succeeds at delivering in so many ways. In order to combat the visual challenges and issues faced by many young people living with albinism in Kenya, the foundation provides free ophthalmic services and offers free prescription photochromatic glasses, having already reached more than a thousand individuals. Across the world, the foundation is actively involved in raising awareness about albinism everywhere. Dr Choksey Albinism Founda- tion is a purely philanthropic service-oriented organization, reaching out to the albino children of Africa who continue to face stigmatization, being shunned by the society around them. Envi- sioning and believing in a society where persons with albinism are Feb20117 Ophthalmology Practice of the Year 2020 – Kenya & Best Albino Children's Support Specialist - East Africa fully-integrated and empowered to realize their full potential, Dr Choksey and her team work under the motto of “Help Ever, Hurt Never”, serving the people who require her services the most. Perhaps the thing that is most telling as to how much the good doctor has poured herself into her work is her own personal belief that helping and reaching out to children with albinism is the very purpose of her life; a purpose to which she has wholly dedicated herself. Using more than four decades of experience in ophthalmology, Dr Choksey herself has designed visual acuity testing charts for long and short-sightedness. In the near future, Dr Choksey is seeking to unveil an ambitious project that would see her test school children across Kenya, before offering examination and treatment to those who have been identified as having visual problems. However, crucially, for those out of schools due to lack of fees in 2020, the foundation will work just as hard to get them prescription photochromatic glasses to help deal with the albi- nism. For generations, the visual challenges and uncorrected refractive errors of children living with albinism have remained unattended. The work being done by Dr Choksey Albinism Foundation is unique in the way that it has never been done before. The hope is that it will inspire other ophthalmologists and eye-care workers across the world to reach out to albino children free of charge. Changing lives requires more than giving freely of cash or kind; it demands a sacrifice of time, knowledge, and expertise in a field. For Dr Choksey, that is ophthalmology. Not only does this excellent doctor improve the health of children across Kenya and Africa, but her understanding and desire to improve the mental, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of children’s health is just as strong. A doting mother figure to these suffering children, Dr Choksey instils in her team a co-operative and friendly culture, where everyone who comes to the clinic can get the help they want to make their lives better. Whilst Dr Choksey’s ambitions extend to seeing every child in Africa provided with prescription photochromatic glasses and regular school enrolment, she also takes pride in every child she helps along the way. Seeing albino children wearing glasses to improve their vision and help them keep their eyes open in sunlight, going to regular schools, and being accepted into familial societies is a testament to the passion and dedication of Dr Choksey. Every albino child currently integrated into a society in Africa is a living, breathing testament to the scientific prowess and the humane care of this exceptional doctor. Contact: Dr Prabha V. Choksey