RIYADH: King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH) in Riyadh and the Wilmer Ophthalmologic Institute of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore have joined hands to develop new procedures and new treatments for eye diseases that are currently not curable in the Kingdom.
Announcing the affiliation, Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said on Saturday that the cooperation between the two institutions will promote research, education and patient care at KKESH.
The minister made the announcement when he inaugurated an array of new facilities at the hospital, which include an intensive care unit, an electronic medical library and three operation theaters.
The minister also laid the foundation for an expansion project that includes 60 more clinics at the hospital.
“The major focus of the affiliation will be the training of the next generation of leaders in ophthalmology in both countries and beyond,” the minister said.
Wilmer Institute has already trained more than 100 chairpersons in departments of ophthalmology in several countries.
Dr. Abdul Elah Al-Towerki, executive director of the hospital, said that a team of seven professors from the institute would be permanently stationed at the hospital to carry out the task.
Al-Towerki said that several Wilmer faculty members would work for extended periods at KKESH treating patients, teaching and conducting research.
“With financial support from the government, the proposed joint venture will focus on developing treatments for blindness, such as diabetic eye disease, that afflict patients living in both countries and around the world.”
The Wilmer Institute is one of the largest medical institutes devoted to the treatment and cure of eye diseases in the United States with more than 130 full-time faculty members. Peter J. McDonnell, director of the institute said the collaboration, “will allow for more rapid evaluation of potential new therapies than would possible with either hospital working alone.” KKESH is the largest eye hospital in the Kingdom and is one of the top-ranked medical facilities in the Middle East. Around 60 cataract surgeries are performed daily at the hospital.