MICEI Board Chair Mr Amin El-Maghraby
Board Chair, trustee members pose with medicaL staff
By Ngalame Elias
It was a historic visit by the President and members of the board of trustee at the Magrabi ICO Cameroon Eye Institute on Tuesday May 6th 2025. The visit according to the Board chair permitted the team to see and appreciate the milestone achievements and the impact of the health care services rendered by the Institute in Cameroon in particular and the Central African region in general.
“ We are really proud of the milestone achievement realized by MICEI since creation. It shows how dedicated the team is. You are a family and I am glad to be here with my family. Professor Akef who had this vision is more than just a visionary. I am proud to carry forward these important values. Through collective efforts MICEI has become a true center of excellence. Your dedication to hard work amidst challenges is highly appreciated,” board chair Mr Amin El-Maghraby said.
MICEI CEO on his part welcomed the board chair and trustee members, noting that the achievements of the hospital could not have been attained without their support.
“ Your presence here today is not just symbolic, it is proof of your dedication to continue with you father’s vision of a world class eye hospital that has become a living reality,” Dr Henry Nkumbe told the board chair.
The visiting board chair like the CEO all hailed the wonderful achievement of the hospital since creation, promising to do better to meet growing health needs of the population.
Statistics:
The hospital provides detail insights into patient care, disease management, and surgical outcomes, research and innovation hub, the CEO explained.
Also featuring is the revolutionary Simulation Center, a cornerstone of eye health training and advancements.
– Community education tools: Innovative educational workbooks designed to raise awareness and screen children for vision problems in schools .
– Free vision testing initiative: The hospital’s unique outdoor vision testing board is an accessible and reproducible solution for public spaces such as markets, travel agencies, and schools.
Group photo with administrative staff
Visibly satisfied visiting board chair dances to the rythm of Bikutsi music
Achievements
According to statistics from the hospital, from 2017 to December By 2024, MICEI had achieved:
– 430,724 eye consultations
– 30,737 successful eye surgeries
– 685 free consultation campaigns targeting disadvantaged communities .
– 84,225 people consulted during these campaigns and over 5,684 free cataract surgeries performed.
These figures reflect its mission: to bridge the gap in eye care and provide life-changing services to those who need them most.
MICEI authorities say they were ready to collaborate with all stakeholders in the eye health ecosystem, from local organizations to international partners, to bring world-class eye care to every community.
“Together, we don’t just treat eyes, we restore hope and build a better future. Let’s continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in eye health,” Dr Henry Nkumbe says.
Located in Oback in the outskirt of Yaounde, some 15 km from Nkolbisson, on the road to Okola, the eye care services hospital is of World class, compared only to similar institutions in Europe and the USA, regular patients in the hospital and other observers attest.
Its high-quality eye care services that optimize health care is increasingly applauded, valued, trusted and cherished by the population of Yaounde and beyond including neighbouring countries.
The hospital that went officially operational in 2017 is a project of Africa Eye Foundation an International Non-Governmental Organisation registered in Switzerland and Cameroon with a vision “ to become the leader in the provision of comprehensive and inclusive eye health services in Africa,” he explained.
For the founder and President of Africa Eye Foundation, it is a people centered hospital to improve and restore eye health of especially the poor.
“To improve, preserve, and restore eye health and vision for the people of Cameroon and the neighboring countries of Central Africa, the Magrabi ICO Cameroon Eye Institute at Yaounde, Cameroon, was established by the Africa Eye Foundation to serve as a center for comprehensive ophthalmology and subspecialty eye care to all in need regardless of ability to pay and as a training center for ophthalmologists, ophthalmology subspecialists, and allied personnel,” says Akef El-Maghraby, MD and President, Africa Eye Foundation. It is estimated by health authorities that nearly a quarter of a million people in Cameroon suffer from blindness and 600,000 from vision loss. There is a lack of skilled eye care professionals, infrastructure and equipment to adequately address these needs which is why it has one of the highest rates of blindness in the world.
More than 80% of blindness and vision loss in Cameroon is avoidable. Cataract is the single most important cause of blindness and vision loss in Cameroon, accounting for close to half of all cases of blindness and 30% of vision loss.
Blindness from cataract can either be prevented or reversed through surgical interventions. According to a recent study by the Australian NGO, Fred Hollows Foundation, cataract surgery provides one of the largest investment returns of any disease intervention. Accordingly, every dollar invested in cataract treatment returns $20.5. Therefore, the fight against cataract blindness is a very cost-effective contribution to the fight against poverty, given the known vicious cycle between cataract blindness and poverty, especially among women.
It is against this backdrop the MICEI is dedicated to eliminating avoidable blindness and the other eye diseases as a public health problem in Cameroon and Central Africa in general. To achieve this, MICEI’s strategy consists of:
– Providing high quality eye care services at par with what obtains in developed countries.
– Provide training opportunities for the next generation of eye care specialists from Cameroon and the sub-region. A training CENTRE for the Central African dub-region is currently under construction.
– Take eye care services to those, who would otherwise not have access to high quality eye care, as a result of barriers such as cost, distance from existing eye care facilities, lack of knowledge etc.
Meritorious staff received medals
