NZ Government Starts on Solar-Powered Eye Care Center

The New Zealand government along with The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ is currently working on establishing a modern, state-of-the-art eye care center in Solomon Islands for $3.8 million. Aside from having the latest technology in eye care, the facility will also feature sustainable design.

Andrew Bell, The Foundation’s Executive Director, said, “This investment by the New Zealand government will allow thousands of people to receive quality eye care in the decades to come. The Foundation has trained an outstanding team of eye doctors from the Solomon Island. Now with this centre, they will be able to fully utilise their skills to help even more people in need.”

Bell added, “The new center will visibly demonstrate that eye care is a priority. Second-hand equipment and makeshift clinics are not good enough to help Solomon Islanders who are needlessly blind.”

Award- winning New Zealand architect Pete Bossley designed the new eye care facility in Solomon Islands which also strongly focuses on sustainable design principles. According to Bell, the structure is a great example of a smart development in New Zealand as exemplified by its structural and design elements. Bell also noted that Bossley and his team’s expertise in architecture and design are very helpful in building a facility that is both self-sustaining and has the capability of withstanding the condition of the Pacific region.

The new center will start on its construction in Honiara by late June. The team is expecting to open the eye care facility by early 2015.

The project is a tripartite collaboration with the New Zealand government, the Solomon Islands government and The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ. Funds and expertise for the building are provided by the New Zealand government while the administration and maintenance will be handled by the Ministry of Health in Honiara as a part of National Referral Hospital. The facility is expected to cater to the eye care and health needs of the entire nation and patient referrals to the capital and offer outreach services within remote communities.