News Archive

Jackie Jaidy pays tribute. 

Friends and colleagues of Dr David Michael Ward were saddened by the news of his passing on New Year’s Day. 

As the Warden of the hospital for five years from 1990 to1995, his leadership inspired confidence and trust at one of the most difficult periods in its history.  During the first Gulf War, when Scud missiles whizzing overhead were a regular occurrence several times a day, Michael’s sense of humour encouraged everyone. 

Lifelines, a collective of poets, writers, musicians and performers based in London, use their free time to organise benefit gigs for international development organisations in the UK. They have chosen SJEHG for their Spring Fundraiser and will be presenting an outstanding evening of entertainment and education, showcasing writers, musicians and poets, who all in their own way feel passionately about the Palestinian cause.

 Headlining the event will be the acclaimed Palestinian author Dr Ghada Karmi.

St John Eye Hospital Group Board Member, Victoria Sheffield, and Gaza Clinic Director, Dr Kamal Okasha, finally met – entirely by chance – at the World Ophthalmology Congress (WOC 2012) in Abu Dhabi recently.

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is most pleased to announce that The Prem Rawat Foundation has awarded $30,000 (£18,840) towards our work with children across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).

This is the fourth award to the Hospital Group made by The Prem Rawat Foundation and marks a $5,000 increase on that of 2010. 

A BBC radio crew visited the Hospital Group for a documentary entitled “Life in Many Voices”

Staying at the Jerusalem Hospital from 20 – 27 November 2011, BBC World Service producer, Mike Greenwood , and his crew collected audio material for the radio programme, which will feature the work of the St. John Eye Hospital Group.

Carole Hayman and Josh Pulman are also visiting the Hospital in order to gather promotional and research material about the work of the Hospital Group that could be developed into a proposal for a film on the subject.

Farewell to Siw Westman – Ophthalmic Sister and Orthoptist.

When Siw arrived at the hospital in 1990, she did not realize what an exciting career span lay ahead of her at the St John Eye Hospital. She trained as an Ophthtlamic nurse at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden and had spent two years at the King Khaled Eye Hospital in Saudi Arabia by the time she arrived at St John.

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital group is delighted to announce that Children of Peace has awarded a grant of £5,000 towards our work treating squint in young girls in East Jerusalem and the West bank. 

Squint, or strabismus, is a condition where the eyes do not look in the same direction.  Whilst one eye looks forwards to focus on an object, the other eye turns either inwards, outwards, upwards or downwards. 

Steady at the Helm and Gaza News

It is hard to believe more than three years have passed since John Talbot took over the Chairmanship of our Board.  The time has flown by, an indication of just how busy we have been. A time of mostly highs with a modicum of lows – the latter generally financially driven and beyond our control.  I take this opportunity of sincerely thanking John for his guidance, his wisdom and also his friendship.  John was well supported by his wife Esme and both will be missed.

Anabta Satellite Flourishing

Our Clinic in Anabta is currently on a roll!  Presided over by Doctor-in-Charge Sami Sukhtian and Nurse-in-Charge, Hani Abu El Haji, everyday more patients arrive at the centre than the day before.  Monthly, attendance is up on last year – when more people than ever before in the Hospital Group’s 129 history came through our doors.  

The St. John Family

So far this year – as of 31 August – the St John Family of Priories has raised a total of £559,082 ($894,522). 

The league table of individual country total contributions stands thus:  the Priory of England has donated £147,572, the Priory of New Zealand £126,016, the Priory of the United States £123,487, the Priory of Scotland £105,948, the Priory of Wales £25,000, the Priory of Canada £20,335 and the Priory of Australia and New South Wales £10,723.

Geraldine Ohannessian celebrates former Guild Member and the late wife of Head of Palestinian Diplomatic Mission to the UK

The memorial service for Samira Hassassian, wife of Head of Palestinian Diplomatic Mission to the United Kingdom, Manuel Hassassian, was held on September 10th in London.  Several members of the Guild of the St John Eye Hospital Group attended in order to pay their respects. 

ST. JOHN EYE HOSPITAL GROUP

REPORT TO PRIORY HOSPITALLERS

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is delighted to confirm that, on 26 June, 2011, a new plot of land in Gaza City was signed over to the Group. 

When funding has been secured, the Group will build a new facilty in Gaza, and this is the first step on that path.  The signing took place between Rod Bull, CEO, and Mr Ibraheem Radwan, the Chairman of the Palestinian Land Authority.   

We will bring you news of the Gaza build as it happens. 

The story of Outreach…

One of the defining features of the part of the world in which we work is its people’s inability to travel freely.  This means that Outreach is certainly one of the most regionally relevant of all of our services. 

Our teams literally do “reach out” to people, taking vital screening and treatment to patients living in remote, rural and impoverished towns and communities in the West Bank; patients who are prohibited from coming to the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. 

Nurse Practitioner Khaled Zuaiter takes over as coordinator

New Outreach Coordinator, Khaled Zuaiter, took over from Nasralah Khalilia in the post at the beginning of the year.  He could not have begun his tenure at the helm of the team at a more testing time. 

Golden Anniversary appeal comes up trumps!

Many of you will remember that, in February last year, we launched an appeal for funds to upgrade the Jerusalem Hospital’s Medical Retinal Unit.  At that time, we told you that we needed to raise £150,000. 

It is a pleasure to report to you that, this appeal, which also marked the Golden Anniversary of the present hospital building in Sheik Jarrah, actually raised over £254,000 and has meant that a wonderful new unit is now nearing completion.

The St. John Family

Thank you, as always, to the St John Family across the world.  So far this year, the Priories have contributed £150,917 towards our costs. 

Special mention this edition goes to the Priory of the United States, which has recently committed to the three year sponsorship of ophthalmologist in training, Dr. Ala’a Al-Talbishi.

We talk to The Dowager Lady Westbury, who has taken over from Lauretta Ridley as head of The Guild for 2011.

Lady Westbury has enjoyed a long involvement with the Hospital and her family can boast an even longer association with the Order of St John. Both her mother and grandfather were members and Lady Westbury joined as a cadet before the Second World War.

The St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, from 3 – 5 June, was proud to host the Annual General Meeting of Johanniter International, or JOIN.

JOIN was formed in 2000, and is a non-profit partnership between the national charities of The Alliance of the Orders of St. John of Jerusalem.  Its member organisations are based in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and have access to a volunteer base of over 100,000 personnel, as well as cooperation links with charitable organisations in around 40 other countries.

Thanks to the generosity of Abraaj Capital, the biggest private equity group in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, The St John Eye Hospital Group has been able to purchase a new vehicle for our mobile outreach programme.  The new van replaces the depreciated existing vehicle and will allow us to continue to take poverty-relieving eye care out to the most isolated and impoverished communities in the OPT.

The young and passionate Dr. Husam Rahal is the latest addition to the Medical staff at our Jerusalem Hospital. 

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is very pleased to announce the success of its Patron’s Reception this year.  Hosted by our wonderful champion, The Lord Vestey, at historic Charterhouse in London on 24^th March, the event raised a clear £27,294 net profit, all of which will go to our Patient Relief Fund, which ensures that the poorest patients receive treatment regardless of their ability to pay. 

Senior Medical and Paramedical Officers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have paid a courtesy visit to our main Hospital in Jerusalem in order to gain familiarity with our work and to learn a little of the history of St. John Eye hospital.

The Officers were welcomed by Rod Bull, CEO, Dr. Jeanne Garth, Medical Director and Reem Salameh, Administration Manager.

Dr Kamal Okasha – our new acting Clinical Director in Gaza – was first appointed ophthalmic surgeon at the satellite centre on 17th November 2005.  But his association with the Hospital Group goes back much farther – to a severe eye trauma that he suffered as a five year old, and which was successfully treated at the St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. 

At the time of his appointment to the Gaza Clinic, he was quoted in Jerusalem Scene as saying that the memory of this treatment had inspired his dream to become an eye doctor.

Alex Burrough decides it’s time to move on. 

It has been a difficult decision but I am bidding adieu to my position as Fundraising & Marketing Officer at the Eye Hospital’s London office, and am off to live and work in Zambia for a while.  I will continue to do fundraising work, but this time I will be helping to pay for underprivileged children to attend a group of 22 schools in Lusaka, called the Zambian Open Community Schools. 

"My Trip to the St John Eye Hospital" by Lyn Zimmo

Lyn Zimmo is a final year medical student at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University.  While attending an ophthalmology conference at the Royal Society of Medicine, she heard about St John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem. 

190 Surgeries Undertaken at Enclave Clinic

Since January 2006, when Hamas came to power in the Gaza Strip, the enclave has been – quite literally – immured by heightened security.  This has meant that our Clinic in Gaza City has had to operate for long stretches with very little direct involvement from Jerusalem as neither staff nor equipment have found easy passage to our satellite Clinic. 

A Private View to be held at Christie's by invitation of The Lord Vestey has been organised by the Guild of the St John Eye Hospital Group in aid of our work. 

The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is looking for a voluntary Fundraising and Communications intern to work at our London based offices in Charterhouse in Farringdon.  We're looking for an ambitious, motivated graduate who want to develop his/her fundraising and communications skills through delivering real pieces of work to a high standard.

The role provides good opportunity to gain fundraising and marketing experience working at the heart of an established international charity. 

Main Responsibilities

Thoughts from Our Chief Executive

Within the Hospital Group we employ 93 nurses of various grades, most of whom we have had the privilege of training. Between them, as at the end of August 2010, they have provided us with a total of 1,080 years of service! Quite a statistic – and one that many hospitals around the globe would be extremely envious of.

A brief word from Mr. John Talbot

It is the mission of St. John Eye Hospital to provide eye care to all those who need it, regardless of their ability to pay.  If ever there was a population that met this criterion, it is the people of the Gaza Strip.

October Event in Jerusalem

The Order of St. John is an Order of chivalry under the patronage of Her Majesty The Queen.  Honours awarded by the Order are, accordingly, of high status, sanctioned in every case by Her Majesty.  Everyone that works for the Hospital and our patients is scrutinised carefully every year for admission to the Order, or promotion within it.

London Recruit Outlines New Strategies

Our Fundraising and Marketing Office in London has a new staff member. Faryal Awan, Fundraising and PR Officer, joined SJEH in June 2010. She has an MSc in Middle East Politics from the Schoolof Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and has experience volunteering and living in Palestine. She is passionate about healthcare and human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT).   

Hospital Board Member and International Eye Foundation President, Victoria Sheffield, has been presented with the prestigious Prince Abdulaziz Ahmad Al-Saud International Prevention of Blindness Award.

The award was given on October 17, 2010 at the opening session of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) joint meeting in Chicago.

My wife Esme and I have spent the last week in Jerusalem during which, as well as our usual tour of many different parts of the Eye Hospital Group, we have held a Board meeting, held an Investiture and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Hospital in Jerusalem.

30 July 2010: The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is pleased to announce the publication of its seminal 2008 Epidemiology Study into Blindness in the occupied Palestinian territory in PloS One, an interactive open-access journal for the communication of all peer-reviewed scientific and medical research.

To view the research article, please click here. 

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­I have just returned from Jerusalem.  This report is very overdue but, as my last visit was expected in April and was cancelled because of the Icelandic volcanic activity, I thought it best to delay my report to you until after this trip.

Hospital activity

The Eye Hospital Group is most grateful to supporter George Klat, who will run the Marathon du Mont-Blanc to raise funds for our charity on 27th June.  Here, he talks a little about this amazing prospect. 

King Abdullah Makes $500,000 Gift Towards Our Services

CEO, Rod Bull, Medical Director, Jeanne Garth, and Director of Nursing, Ahmad Ma’ali, met with the Jordanian Royal Court Chief, Nasser Lozi, at the Royal Palace in Amman on Monday 29 March. The party had been invited to the Palace in order to receive a donation of US$500,000 from Mr Lozi, who presented the gift on behalf of His Majesty King Abdullah II.

In London, it’s that time of year again and our Charterhouse Mews office Administration Executive, Ms. Lisa Smith, has bravely agreed to run the London Marathon, on 25 April, on behalf of our Charity. Here, Lisa explains why…

Following the success of their wonderful Concert at Cadogan Hall on September 16th 2009, the Guild – with the financial assistance of an anonymous benefactor – have produced a commemorative DVD of the event to support the valuable fundraising work of the Hospital Group.

In our Winter 09 edition, Head of Fundraising and Marketing, Ms Nicky Wynne, wrote a brief article touching upon a new fund- and awareness raising initiative, the Interfaith Project. This is currently being developed into an ongoing programme of discourse, which we hope to formally launch later this year.

As we begin a new year at the Hospital Group – and launch a new appeal for your assistance, it seemed like the perfect time to ask our CEO, Mr Rod Bull, to set down for us some of the finer points of a typical day at our Jerusalem Hospital. Here is what he had to say…

The 18th of February 2010 was an important day in the history of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group. Attended by the Grand Prior, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, it was the official opening of the Group's new offices at Charterhouse Mews in London – and the beginning of a new chapter in its history. By complete coincidence it would also have been the 70th birthday of Robert Krehl, without whose exceptional generosity the day could not have been possible. Krehl’s generous gift, shortly before he died, means that the Eye Hospital Group now has a permanent, rent-free office space in London.

Our Chairman, Mr John Talbot, visited the Hospital in Jerusalem in December.  Here, he provides us with a brief review of 2009 and a look ahead to events in 2010. 

The Prem Rawat Foundation supports the work of the St. John Eye Hospital Group

The St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is pleased to announce a second award from the Prem Rawat Foundation in the United States. In 2008, the Hospital Group received $20,000 (US) to help support vital work in Gaza.  This year the amount donated has increased significantly to $25,000, and will help support the Group’s children’s services throughout the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT).

St John Ambulance working with the Eye Hospital Group

At the time of going to press, the Guild and all at the Eye Hospital Group’s London office were gearing up for our annual fundraising jamboree, the Gift of Sight Fair.

The treatment of the female population in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

The movement restrictions ubiquitous throughout the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT) particularly affect women. In the OPT, women unaccompanied by a male relative may not be permitted to travel at all, while the daily negotiation of obstacles and checkpoints disincentivizes male travel.

It was with great shock that Jerusalem Scene and all at the St John Eye Hospital Group learned of the death of Priory Scotland Hospitaller, Dr John Calvert, who passed away on Sunday 4th October, while on a visit to the Hospital in Jerusalem.

19yr old Dua’a is from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. Her family, originally from a village near Haifa, were made refugees in 1948. Although very short sighted, Dua’a was a bright child at school and was able to begin studying for a degree in Physics at the Al Najjar University in Nablus.

Some of the magnificent award of $304,000 (£186,899) from the Peace for Children Foundation in Sharjah that we told you about last time has been used to support our children’s services. Between April and September this year we were able to treat more than 10,000 children below the age of 18 as a direct result of this award.

Thanks to two of our key corporate supporters, one of whom is a new donor, we have been able, over the past few months, to further develop our fundraising work in The United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A brief word from Mr. John Talbot

It is with great regret that I have to report the death of Robert Ehringer Krehl.

It was with great shock and sadness that all at the St John Eye Hospital Group learned of the death of Priory Scotland Hospitaller, Dr John Calvert, who passed away on Sunday 4th October, while on a visit to the Hospital in Jerusalem.

7.30pm, 16 September 2009 Cadogan Hall, London

Gala premiere in aid of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group

One year ago, in our Summer ’08 edition of Jerusalem Scene, we brought you the story of baby Malak Dweik from Gaza.

Baby Malak was diagnosed with cancer of her left eye at 12 months and was treated at the Nobel Peace Prize nominated Hadassah Medical Center in West Jerusalem. With Malak now aged two years, we bring you up-to-date with this bitter/sweet tale.

In this Summer Edition of Jerusalem Scene, we concentrate on children, bringing you an update on the story of baby Malek Dweik and a short article on our work with children, written from the medical perspective by Chairman John Talbot. We start below with an appeal for your help – and wish you a wonderful, long, warm summer!

20 Years `of Service Jerusalem Scene could not let the occasion of 20 years service at St John Eye Hospital, Jerusalem pass without gratefully acknowledging the unstinting support of key staff member, Orthoptist Siw Westman.

As I write, already a third of the year has rapidly slipped by. I am pleased to report that the Hospital Group is coping despite the financial downturn which is, as expected, having an affect on the donations we receive.

A ‘Fashion Show’, organized by Guild member, Denise Magauran, was held on Wednesday, April 8 in the wonderful Royal College of Medicine.  The event celebrated the gorgeous clothing range by Designer, Beatrice von Tresckow and raised substantial funding for our charity.  St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital would like to thank The Guild for their hard work in realizing this event and for raising so much money!  To see photos from the wonderful evening please go to www.verityspace.com.

The St. John Family

Our heartfelt thanks go out, once again, to those of the St John Family who raise funds for us and help to make the work that we do possible.

The mission of The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is to provide ophthalmic care of the highest quality and relevance to the people of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, irrespective of race, religion, social class or ability to pay. We are the only Ophthalmic charity provider to the Palestinian people, where they can access essential health care free of charge.

Our mission is to provide ophthalmic care of the highest quality and relevance to the people of Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, social class or ability to pay. We are the only Ophthalmic charity provider to the Palestinian people, where they can access essential health care free of charge.

in the fight against avoidable blindness.

There can be little doubt that all of the St John Eye Hospital Group staff are integral to the successful execution of the charitable aims that we are all working towards. They are at the forefront, working hard to help those less fortunate than many of us. During the recent conflict in Gaza, they were also on the frontline.

We were delighted that, in view of recent events, His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, The Grand Prior, graciously agreed to attend a very special event on our behalf.

Walk for Sight

"Charity Challenge is the UK’s leading adventure travel company specialising exclusively in the organisation, leadership and administration of inspirational fundraising expeditions."

£1,400/ $2,000 Corneal Grafting

Rest assured that at this difficult time, every donation, no matter how small, is vital to the continued success of our services.

We were delighted to announce in July that our clinic in Hebron was to be renamed the St. John Eye Hospital – Hebron.  This gives much deserved recognition to the first-rate work carried out there by our team, led by Dr Ibrahim Sawalhi and ably assisted by Dr Riad Bannayout and Nurse Practitioner Ghandi Modieh. 

Have you ever fancied exploring the Grand Canyon or following in the footsteps of the Massai? Well now you can – and raise money for St. John Eye Hospital Group at the same time.

St. John Eye Hospital is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members of the fundraising team in London.  Geof Jarvis takes over from Jesper Petersen as Trusts and Appeals Manager and Alexandra Burrough is the new Fundraising and Marketing Officer.

We cross the Erez checkpoint and enter the Gaza Strip. The scale of devastation is immediately visible.

To our left, an industrial estate has been brutally levelled to the ground. Further ahead, acres of fields – once cultivating vegetables for internal and export consumption – lay barren.  

While delivering her baby, Bilal’s mother suffered from a lack of oxygen, which had negatively affected her baby boy Bilal, and in turn affected his vision.

Denise Magauran, former Chief Surgeon at the Jerusalem Hospital, returns voluntarily on an annual basis.  She was recently a Consultant on the Epidemiology Research project.  Here are some of her thoughts:

On the 8th February, the Hospital was honoured to welcome the Japanese Ambassador Yoshinori Katori. The Ambassador undertook a tour of the facilities and signed a contract confirming his government's commitment to donating US$79,000 for the purchase of a state-of-the-art digital fundus FFA photography system. We are very excited by this because it is the first time the Hospital has received financial support from Japan.

Friday 14th of December will not be forgotten for a long time by those in and around Jerusalem. And certainly not by the staff and patients at St John Eye Hospital.

2007 marked the 125th Anniversary of the Hospital’s mission – to preserve the gift of sight for the marginalised communities. The special year was completed with a Royal visit when TRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester came to Jerusalem.

To celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the existence of St. John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital, we were lucky enough to have Her Majesty, The Queen, Sovereign Head of the Order of St. John, and H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh attend the Chairman’s Reception at St. John's Gate, in March 2008.

We are delighted to announce that we have employed a Head of Fundraising & Marketing. Nicky Wynne BA(Hons)MA will operate from our London office and she and her team will focus on developing further our external fundraising and communication work.

2007 is the 125th anniversary of the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital.

To celebrate this, we are launching our International Patient Relief Appeal.

On 7th February a visit to the Hospital was undertaken by the Foreign Secretary the Rt Hon Mrs Margaret Beckett MP. This was arranged by the British Consul-General and his staff and was a resounding success. The Foreign Secretary formally declared open our newly-renovated Male Ward which was made possible with the generosity of the British Government, the Pontifical Mission and a number of individual donors.