The Australian Government and Fred Hollows Foundation Australia have jointly funded the development of a safe hostel in Lahore, Pakistan for female ophthalmic students.
The presence of on-campus safe accommodation is expected to encourage female students and their families to join ophthalmology.
Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Margaret Adamson Friday inaugurated the new hostel at the King Edward Medical University in Lahore. The hostel will house 250 ophthalmic students, mostly women from remote areas of Pakistan.
The Australian Government and the Fred Hollows Foundation jointly funded the hostel under the Pakistan Australia Prevention of Avoidable Blindness (PAPAB) project at the cost of PKR 75 million.
The Australian Government’s continued support to the work of Fred Hollows Foundation in Pakistan reflects our strong belief that providing quality care for those affected by various forms of blindness is key to improving their economic and social opportunities
The land for the building was provided by the Government of Punjab. Inaugurating the hostel High Commissioner Margaret Adamson said, “The availability of secure accommodation is an important step to encourage women, particularly those from remote areas of Pakistan, to build their careers through higher education.”
Ms. Adamson added, “The Australian Government’s continued support to the work of Fred Hollows Foundation in Pakistan reflects our strong belief that providing quality care for those affected by various forms of blindness is key to improving their economic and social opportunities.”
The Pakistan Australia Prevention of Avoidable Blindness (PAPAB) project, funded by the Australian Government, is the fifth consecutive project by The Fred Hollows Foundation in Pakistan since 1998.
The College of Ophthalmology & Allied Vision Sciences (COAVS) / Kind Edward Medical University Lahore is a premier training institute providing quality training to Allied Ophthalmic Personnel in the country. More than 600 ophthalmic personnel have already graduated from COAVS and are serving in public and private sector hospitals in Pakistan, playing a pivotal role in eliminating avoidable blindness.
