ST JOHN OPHTHALMIC
WEEK
Sunday 6 th – Saturday 12 th October 2013
JERUSALEM AND THE CRUSADES
 The exact date when the Order of the Hospital of St John in
Jerusalem first came into being is unknown. Although in about
1070 a hospice was established in Jerusalem by monks from
a neighbouring Benedictine abbey to care for the growing
number of Christians traveling to the holy city.
 In the year 1113 the hospice developed into a hospital. Over
the next 40 years it developed into a religious and military
order, with its brothers and sisters (known as Hospitallers of
St John or Knight Hospitallers) providing care to the poor and
sick regardless of faith.
 Over the passing years, the Order of St John spread
throughout Europe. In 1877 St John ambulance began to
enable quick aid to people in Britain throughout the industrial
revolution.
THE MODERN ORDER
 There were originally three charitable Foundations of the modern
Order.
1. The St John Jerusalem Eye Hospital Foundation, established in
1882.
2. The St John Ambulance Association, which predominately
trained public first aid and was established in 1877.
3. The St John Ambulance Brigade, which provided first aid care
to the public. It started in 1873 and was established in 1887.
The St John Ambulance Association and The St John Ambulance
Brigade were amalgamated in 1974 to form the present St John
Ambulance Foundation.
 There was a major re-structuring of the Order’s constitution in
1999. This introduced a Grand Council; removed restrictions as
to nationality and religious belief on full membership of the
Order; and established a new Priory to carry on the activities of
the Order in England and the Islands.
ST JOHN IN AUSTRALIA
 People from the St John Ambulance Brigade came to Australia
in 1883 and have since developed into the organisation that
we are today.
 St John is a Royal Order of Chivalry with the Queen as its
Sovereign Head. There are now well over 400,000 staf f around
the world.
Judith Musallam, Head Orthoptist
– Knights Templar
Humam Rishmawi, Consultant
Ophthalmologist & winner of
Magauran Cup 2007 – Priory of
Canada
Hanan Zalan, Staff Nurse,
Priory of Australia
PICTURES
The Original St John
Ambulance ‘The Ashford
Litter’ also known as “the
St John Ambulance” from
where our organisation
takes its name.
The Society's logo reflects its federal nature. Included
on the logo are the Australian kangaroo and emu, the
shield of the Australian Priory of the Most Venerable
Order of St John and the armorial devices of each of
the Australian States and Territories.
ST JOHN EYE HOSPITAL GROUP
 The St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem is the main hospital of the St John
Eye Hospital Group. Treatment of eye disease is not always easy because
of the restrictions on employment and general movement of both staff
and patients in the region. Yet in 2012 they treated 44,238 thousand
patients.
 The Jerusalem Hospital has a 49-bed capacity and is staffed
predominantly by local specialist surgeons, doctors, nurses and
paramedics. There is a large, modern Outpatients
Department and very busy specialist
Retinal, Corneal and Paediatric
services.
GAZA
 The Gaza Strip is one of the most troubled and disadvantaged areas
in the world. The small teams who work at our Clinic there
are operating in what is really an emergency situation. Exacerbated
by the on-going conflict in the area, the existing rate of blindness
remains high (ten times higher than in the West).

In spite of the huge problems they face, the
staff at our Gaza Clinic work hard to save the
sight of local people. The number of patients
coming to the Clinic and the resulting operations
is increasing and in 2012, we saw and
treated 24,369 patients in Gaza.
ANABTA
 The Anabta Clinic was the third St John Eye Hospital satellite centre. It
opened in the spring of 2007 and on average 70-80 patients are seen
each day. The Anabta clinic along with the Hebron clinic allows St John to
reach almost all of the West Bank towns, villages and refugee camps.


Anabta works in partnership with the Palestinian
Red Crescent Society, focusing on the treatment
and referral of diabetic patients, thereby
intensifying efforts to control this preventable
blinding eye disease in the region.
In 2012, we treated 20,097 patients at Anabta6,614 under the age of 18.
HEBRON
 The Hebron Centre opened in November 2005 and since then the
number of patients seen each day has doubled. Because of the need in
the area, the then Chairman in 2008 upgraded the Clinic to a Hospital in
its own right.
 The West Bank is subject to movement restrictions with a Separation
Wall being built between Israel and Palestine and thus it is proving
difficult for many people to reach the hospital.
 In 2012, our Hospital in Hebron
treated 11,238 patients. Approximately
4,000 were under the age of 18.
 The presence of the Hospital benefits all
residents of the Hebron Governorate, as
well as the semi-nomadic Bedouins of the
Negev Desert.
KHALED ZUAITER
OUTREACH COORDINATOR
SPONSORED BY THE PRIORY OF AUSTRALIA
 Khaled Zuaiter is sponsored by the Priory of Australia and is the Outreach
Coordinator for our Outreach team.
 Khaled graduated in nursing at university level and currently manages two
outreach teams which venture into remote villages and Bedouin camps offering
free treatment, referrals and sight saving advice for patients.
 Khaled makes sure that the outreach clinics’ visits are well planned and
communicated in advance to allow all inhabitants of hard to reach villages to
seek treatment.
“From the first moment I joined the
hospital, I felt myself surrounded by my
family and I was given all the support
and training to improve my knowledge
and skills. This increased my loyalty
and has made me more proud to be a
member of this hospital.”
OUTREACH
 Because movement is restricted for many people throughout
Palestine and Israel, the outreach project that began in 1980 is a
valuable asset for the people and for St John.
 The outreach van takes vital screening and treatment to patients
living in remote, rural and impoverished towns and communities
in the West Bank. This is predominately to patients who might be
prohibited from coming to the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem.
 Our Outreach team starts out at 7.30am four mornings per week
and often returns after dark.
 In 2012, our Mobile Outreach Team saw
10,511 patients. 3,667 under the age of 18
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
 All together the St John Jerusalem Eye Hospital group in 2012 cared for a
total of 111,498 people. This achievement is no small feat as we have
almost doubled the number of patients that walked through our doors
back in 2006.
 The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is delighted to announce
that we have received a donation of $1 million
towards the cost of
developing our new Day
Case Hospital in Gaza.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
 St John has been awarded the Joint Commission International
(JCI) accreditation for quality and patient safety. The Joint
commission is a US-based organisation that has established
patient safety and quality service standards and goals for
health service facilities. St John are the first in Palestine to
achieve this award.
 The New Chairman, Nicholas Woolf has received the Ghandhi
Peace award. Mr Woolf especially acknowledged the
contribution and dedication of SJEHG staf f working in
dangerous areas. He was saying “…all had one thing in
common. Whether based in Jerusalem, Hebron, Anabta, Gaza
or London, they are not doing what they do for credit or
recognition. They are doing what they do because they care
about the Palestinian people – and want only to help make
the region in which they work a better place .”
THE NEED
 Research shows that blindness causes poverty and that
recovering lost vision can help families to once again look for
work and contribute back into the economy.
 Our mission is to ensure that our patients are able to access
poverty -relieving ophthalmic services regardless of race,
ethnicity, economic status and where they live.
 Access to specialist healthcare in the region in limited. Many
ordinary people are unable to move freely and nearly half live
below the poverty line.
CONDITIONS
 Access to specialist healthcare in the region in limited. Many
ordinary people are unable to move freely and nearly half live
below the poverty line .
 The rate of blindness is ten times higher than in developed
countries. 30% of the population is under the age of ten and
the incidence of conditions particularly af fecting children
such as squint, infantile glaucoma, cataract and trauma is
high.
 In adults cataract, glaucoma and the complications of
diabetes are the main blinding conditions.
CONDITIONS
 Diabetes is a pandemic medical and social scourge in the
region. At 12 to 15% of the population, suf ferers are three
times more prevalent than in the West. Complications can
damage the retina and lead to blindness.
PARTNERSHIPS
 SJEHG and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)
have been working in tandem since 1986. The two organisations came together in order to
develop a referral mechanism whereby ophthalmic cases presenting at UNRWA clinics
could be referred to SJEHG for screening and treatment. UNWRA then makes some
contribution towards the costs of treatment.
 A quarter of the West Bank’s estimated 700,000 refugees live in 19 UNRWA refugee
camps, while the Gaza Strip is home to more than 1.1 million registered refugees, of which
more than half a million live in eight UNRWA refugee camps. By working in partnership with
UNRWA, we have been able to treat many thousands of Palestinian refugees, whom we
would probably not otherwise have seen. What’s more, we are able to treat these patients
regardless of their ability to pay.
 In 2008, SJEHG began working in partnership with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society
(PRCS), especially in Anabta, where we share premises with PRCS. We provide outreach
primary eye care services at PRCS clinics all over the West Bank. By partnering with
organisations on the ground in the oPt, we ensure that our services and reach reflect the
true needs of the community in which we work.
‘Partnerships between The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group
and hospitals and organisations with local knowledge and different
expertise help us to reach and treat more visually impaired people.’
Rod Bull, previous CEO St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group
INCOME
 The Hospital still relies on voluntar y
income as the major source of funding.
 During 2011 , voluntary income of £4.513m
constituted 59% of incoming resources;
while £2.899m constituting 38 % of total
incoming resources came from the
Hospital charitable activities.
 The remaining 3% of incoming resources
were related to income from investments.
£1 .278m of the voluntary income was
donated by the Priories of the Order of St
John.
USE OF FUNDS
 The uses of funds were mainly related to
cost of activities in furtherance of the
charity’s objects. During 2011 expenditure
on charitable activities amounted to
£6.460m.
 This represents 92% of total resources
expended. These costs include running our
Hospitals in Jerusalem and Hebron, our
Clinics in Gaza and Anabta and a Mobile
Outreach Clinic across the West Bank.
QUOTES
 "St John’s focus on primar y health care, especially amongst the
poorest of the poor, and its capacity to tap the most generous and
caring human impulses, gives it a special place in our hear ts"
Nelson Mandela, Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St John
 ‘ The work done by the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group in
the Palestinian territories – both in treating thousands of people
with eye problems and in training local doctors and nurses – is
absolutely crucial. The fact that they are multi denominational and
help those in need, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or ability
to pay, is truly inspirational. They have been operating for well over
a centur y now. I wish them well and hope that they continue to
receive the suppor t required to carr y on providing their much
needed ser vices, inshaAllah.’
Her Royal Highness Princess Badiya bint El -Hassan of Jordan
LINKS
 To find out more about St John Jerusalem Eye Hospital, please
go to: http://www.stjohneyehospital.org /
 To find out more about what an intraocular lens implant is,
what it is for and what it does some useful websites are:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/iols.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intraocular_lens
OECUSSI
OECUSSI
 St John has been providing assistance to Oecussi East Timor for several years
as Oecussi is one of the poorest regions in the world. There are high fertility
rates and 75% of the 60,000 people are under the age of 25. Oecussi is an
isolated costal enclave and since 2006 St John have teamed up with the
Australasian College of Surgeons and have helped to support the people of
Oecussi by providing ophthalmic care in the form of eye surgery, optometric
examinations and the provision of glasses and sunglasses.
There are many issues affecting the development of Oecussi. These include:
 No business sector.
 Predominately unschooled population
 Poor transport
 Few Decent Roads.
 No sufficient electricity or water supply to the towns.
 High levels of illiteracy.
SUPPORTING THE PEOPLE OF OECUSSI,
EAST TIMOR
 The St John Ophthalmic national program provides support to the
people of Oecussi in East Timor. This is a joint venture with the
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACs) which has been
operating now for several years.
 St John has donated a microscope, surgical consumables and a
number of first aid kits to the Oecussi community.
 As well as the partnership with the College over the last three
years St John have also sent a team of volunteers who have been
involved in providing first aid and related training to the hospital
staff and other local people in Oecussi.
ST JOHN TRIPS
 Since 2006 St John have annually sent a team of people to
Oecussi to help provide help in first aid training and
Ophthalmic assistance to those in need.
 The 2013 annual Oecussi trip took place in July and was a
great success. St John sponsored five people from the Royal
Australasian College of Surgeons and three from St John
Ambulance Australia to attend this trip.
MAIN PROJECTS OF THE OECUSSI
OPHTHALMIC PROJECT 2013
 The St John and RACS team first met up in Darwin on Friday 12th of July. They then
flew to Dili, Timor Leste and then flew onto Oecussi. Over in Oecussi the RACS and
SJA group ran a few health and first aid workshops along with performing eye
surgery on a number of patients.
 Much of the time was spent at the district hospital in Oecussi where the surgeons
performed many eye operations for which the community was highly grateful.
 The Oecussi team also trained the police force in basic life support, wound care
and had a question and answer time. It is vital for the police force to know how to
manage emergency situations as they are often the first on scene for accidents.
ANNEKA HYMAN’S EXPERIENCE
 “One of the best classes
involved us instructing the
local police force on basic
life suppor t. The lesson took
place on the lawn out the
front of the station with
around 20 smar tly dressed
male and female officers
performing CPR on dummies
that we brought with us from
Australia.” Anneka Hyman
 “It was encouraging to know that the basic skills that we were
able to impar t provided a chance of sur vival in circumstances
where the nearest hospital was a days walk away and specialist
care was a 12 hour boat trip away.” Anneka Hyman
2013 TRIP IMPROVEMENTS
 RACS completed 53 cases in 2013.
 Andrew Koch (RACS Optometrist) case load included 200+ assessments.
Approximately ¼ of the assessments required surgical intervention. This
is a huge improvement from last year.
 Over the last few years there have been
considerable improvements in the up
skilling of the local workforce.
 There have also been some good outreach
eye health screenings conducted in
surrounding communities.
DANIKA CROLLA - VIDEO
 “Photo of St John Volunteers with RACS and patients – Anneka
Hyman, Danika Crolla and Aaron del Pino