A meeting was held on 22nd July 2025 at the Conference Hall of Teaching Hospital Jaffna, with the participation of Prof. Thavam Thambipillai, President of the International College of Surgeons and Vice President of the International Medical Health Organization (IMHO), USA. During the meeting, Prof. Thavam officially confirmed IMHO’s generous financial support for the upcoming free 250 cataract surgeries scheduled for August 2025, to be implemented by the Eye Unit of Teaching Hospital Jaffna.
The meeting commenced with a welcome address by Dr. Sathiyamoorthy, Director of Teaching Hospital Jaffna, who provided an overview of the Eye Unit’s excellent services and expressed deep appreciation for IMHO’s continued support toward both medical and surgical initiatives at the hospital.
Prof. Thavam, in his remarks, highlighted the longstanding collaboration between IMHO and Teaching Hospital Jaffna, reaffirming their commitment to future support.
Dr. Malaravan, Consultant Eye Surgeon, presented a comprehensive summary of the services offered by the Eye Unit, with a particular emphasis on the “Zero Waiting List” initiative for cataract surgery. He underscored the need for essential consumables to sustain the ongoing free cataract surgery programs and expressed his sincere gratitude to IMHO for their timely funding support. He noted that IMHO has been contributing to sight-saving initiatives since 2009 and welcomed their renewed support with appreciation. Dr.Malaravan also spoke about the Eye Unit’s ongoing research activities under the CORE Health Projects, including studies on cataract, refractive error, diabetic retinopathy, and other ocular conditions. He acknowledged that IMHO has pledged support to overcome financial constraints that hinder these critical research efforts. The Deputy Director of Teaching Hospital Jaffna Dr. Jamunantha,echoed the sentiments of previous speakers and extended heartfelt thanks to IMHO for supporting both lifesaving and sight-saving healthcare interventions. As a gesture of gratitude, a formal letter of acknowledgement for the donated items required to perform the 250 free cataract surgeries was officially handed over to Prof. Thavam.
The meeting concluded on a positive and collaborative note, with the participation of hospital administrative staff and the Eye Unit team. This initiative reflects the power of global partnerships in advancing healthcare equity and restoring vision to those most in need.