Papua New Guinea Ophthalmologist-in-Training Joins the YWAM Medical Ship

“We have a lot of mountains, valleys, and river systems where most of the people cannot be reached. And not only that, but we have problems with our health service delivery”, says Dr. Waimbe Wahamu.
For this reason, Dr. Wahamu was glad he could join the YWAM Medical Ship this year on outreach in Papua New Guinea (PNG). He is currently working and training at the Port Moresby Hospital to become a specialised ophthalmologist.
Volunteer ophthalmologist on board, Dr. Keith Maslin, was able to teach Dr. Wahamu a type of cataract surgery that is often used in developing nations to remove dense cataracts. When cataracts are left undealt with, common in the elderly of PNG, the result can be a very mature, dense cataract that may be more difficult to remove. Thankfully, the surgery that Dr. Maslin shared with Dr. Wahamu is very effective in these cases, and now Dr. Wahamu can be even more effective in helping the vision of his nation.
Dr. Wahamu says he has worked to be an ophthalmologist because he believes eyes are the life of the body. To restore sight to the blind may only require a short surgery, however the the way it can change a life is long term.
The ophthalmologist-in-training was also grateful for how everyone on the ship got along. Many of the ship’s doctors, nurses, dentists, and general volunteers are from around the world, but Dr. Wahamu says he believes they were all there with the right motivation.
“This experience has been a very enriching experience for my life. I have witnessed how working together as a team, from different cultures and nations and different backgrounds, coming together as one mission to help people, can make a lot of difference”.
To see more of Waimbe’s story, click HERE.