Holy Land: St John's Ophthalmic Hospital

How it all started
The St John Eye Hospital traces its origins and inspiration from the first Order of St John, founded 900 years ago in Jerusalem, ‘for the faith and service of Mankind’. The Hospital originally opened in 1882, the first eye hospital ever to be established in the Middle East. During the fighting in 1948, the Hospital building was so severely damaged that a fresh start had to be made. With worldwide support and acclaim, the present St John Eye Hospital was opened in 1960, in East Jerusalem.

In Palestine serious eye diseases are common and rates of blindness are up to ten times that of Western Europe and North America. The St John Hospital provides both preventative and curative care, restoring sight where possible, and maintaining vision in those whose eyes have been threatened by disease or injury.

Whilst the hospital treats all who seek its care, irrespective of race, religion or ability to pay, the reality is that it serves the predominantly Arab populations of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, for whom it is the sole provider of quality Ophthalmic care and professional training.

Location: Jerusalem, Holy Land Chief Executive: Rod Bull Founded: 1960 How it all started The St John Eye Hospital traces its origins and inspiration from the first Order of St John, founded 900 years ago in Jerusalem, ‘for the faith and service of Mankind’. The Hospital originally opened in 1882, the first eye hospital ever to be established in the Middle East. During the fighting in 1948, the Hospital building was so severely damaged that a fresh start had to be made. With worldwide support and acclaim, the present St John Eye Hospital was opened in 1960, in East Jerusalem. In Palestine serious eye diseases are common and rates of blindness are up to ten times that of Western Europe and North America. The St John Hospital provides both preventative and curative care, restoring sight where possible, and maintaining vision in those whose eyes have been threatened by disease or injury. Whilst the hospital treats all who seek its care, irrespective of race, religion or ability to pay, the reality is that it serves the predominantly Arab populations of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, for whom it is the sole provider of quality Ophthalmic care and professional training. Current activities The hospital has 80 beds, and offers a full range of ophthalmic services. Over 50,000 people are treated and about 2,500 operations are performed each year, including many cataract operations. The Hospital has an extensive out-patients’ department, two operating theatres and an eye bank, and also carries out research into eye diseases such as trachoma, a major cause of blindness. A team of over 100 doctors, nurses and other staff, many from the local region, serve at the Hospital. The Hospital is committed to employing and training local doctors, although, in the current political and economical situation, some positions are also filled by international doctors. Mobile Outreach Programme: In 1982, the Hospital began a Mobile Outreach Programme, which travels to the scattered villages and refugee camps in the West Bank to provide primary ophthalmic care to those who cannot get to the Hospital. Each week, there are at least two Outreach clinics, treating over 500 men, women and children. The number of clinics each week is increased during times of heightened security, when roadblocks and withdrawal of travel permits make it impossible for patients to travel to Jerusalem. One of the main aims of the Outreach team is to provide preventative care to the villagers, through treatment and advice, although the more serious cases are referred to the Hospital for surgery. Gaza Clinic: The population of the Gaza Strip is 1.3 million, which includes over half a million refugees. The Hospital opened a satellite clinic in Gaza in 1992, to provide the local population with better access to ophthalmic services. Since then, this clinic has become the major ophthalmic facility for the local population, and nearly 1,000 patients are seen every month. As nearly half the population is under 14 years of age, children make up a significant proportion of the caseload. Hebron Eye Centre: Following the success of the clinic in Gaza, and due to the increasing travel restrictions in the West Bank, an eye centre was set up in the town of Hebron in 2005. This centre is based on the clinic in Gaza, providing care to patients in the densely populated Hebron and Bethlehem Governorates. As well as performing minor surgery, it refers patients with complex cases to the Hospital in Jerusalem. This centre has proved very necessary, treating more than 1,000 patients each month. Nurse training: Training the local population is a particularly important part of the work of the Hospital, which has a nursing school where Palestinian medical students are trained in ophthalmology. The Hospital has taught nursing programmes for over 40 years, and has operated a postgraduate course in Specialist Ophthalmic Nursing since 1998. More recently, the Hospital has joined with the Al Quds University Medical School (the first and only Palestinian Medical School), for the practical teaching of Ophthalmology to Undergraduate students. Patients at the St John Hospital are charged nominal fees and treatment is entirely free for the poor and the young. Since many patients are refugees or are unemployed, less than 20% of the Hospital’s income comes from patients’ fees. A Spectacle Fund helps patients with little or no income, covering the costs of eyesight tests and lenses. For many years, BibleLands' supporters have donated children’s glasses frames to the Hospital. These frames are often too expensive for a family to afford, particularly if that family has more than one child suffering from an eye disease, so the hospital, and the patients, are very grateful to receive them. Many of the children at other BibleLands' Project Partners, such as the Helen Keller Centre, are treated at the St John Hospital. But the Hospital is far more than just a centre of healing; it is a place where compassion, understanding and co-operation are fostered among all peoples. It is truly a place of goodwill.		Matron Jackie Jaidy, receiving her MBE.