Ophthalmology

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Background
Jimma University Department of ophthalmology (JUDO) is one of the 22 Departments that operate under Institute of Health Sciences, Jimma University, South west Ethiopia, Ethiopia. The establishment of Department of ophthalmology can be traced back to 1980s’ Ethio-Italian cooperation on prevention of blindness. In 1980’s, as the result of the Ethio-Italian Cooperation as part of the prevention of blindness activity all over the country an Eye unit was established in the premises of the then Jimma Hospital. Up until 2006, the Eye unit was housed in an imported prefabricated container .This has lead the University to take initiative to design and implement a comprehensive ophthalmic project in collaboration with CBM (Christoffel Blind Mission) and LIGHT FOR THE WORLD-Christoffel Development Cooperation a German and an Austrian Non-Governmental Development Organizations (NGDO’s) respectively to alleviate the existing problems of infrastructure, equipment and ophthalmic work force and to address the training, service and research needs of the University. On this foundation, the eye unit grew into a full-fledged Department of Ophthalmology. This was a turning point in the history of the Department and a significant step towards contributing blindness prevention and control efforts in the country. Subsequently, in January 2006 JUDO launched postgraduate program (residency program in Ophthalmology) and undergraduate program (BSc in Cataract Surgery). Since its inception, JUDO has been involved in training of final year medical, Health Officer and doctor of dental medicine students as part of their undergraduate program. In addition to the training with the support from Light for the world, CBM and other partner organizations through Light For the World the department has been involved in provision of comprehensive quality eye care services both at Base Hospital and Outreach, Instrument /Equipment development and conducting clinical services and problem solving eye care researches.JUDO is the only Tertiary eye care unit operating in south west part of Ethiopia with the catchment of over 15 million populations. Organization and administration wise, JUDO belongs to Institute of Health Sciences.  
Vision, Mission & Objectives:
MISSION STATEMENT
JUDO has a mission of furthering excellence in the care of patients with visual disorders and prevention of needless blindness through:

  • The provision of a comprehensive range of services for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of visual disorders;
  • The provision of postgraduate training in Ophthalmology, and continuing medical education opportunities;
  • Basic, applied, clinical, and outcomes-related research into vision problems, reinvestment of revenues generated through the cost contribution and private wing for sustainability of the ophthalmic programs, and
  • The development of effective partnerships with other sister institutions at home and abroad, donors, interest groups and agencies interested in addressing vision care needs in the country in general and in southwestern part of the country in particular

VISION STATEMENT 

JUDO aspires to see Ethiopia free of avoidable blindness.
To this end, it strives to:

  • Create a healthy productive society
  • Create advanced, comprehensive academic health science with a campus culture of learning & discovery
  • Produce skilled professionals, specialists in eye health who are able to deliver total quality eye care for the public
  • Produce an adequate number of Eye Care providers who are able to reverse the sad reality & promote eye health
  • Provide high level eye care service to the community which is affordable & accessible
  • Conduct basic and advanced research to answer our problems Values           
      The Staffs at JUDO are committed to providing high quality patient care, education and trainings, and research within a spirit of compassion and scholarly inquiry. Judo maintains equity of the service, to the people and medical professional ethics and loyalty to the profession

CORE VALUES 
Our values form the emotional heartbeat of our Hospital and apply to everybody irrespective of rank. All employees must relate to these values and they will be instilled to each and every employee and they all shall always LIVE by them. These values are:
Community First

  • We are here for nothing but to serve and satisfy our community.
  • We treat them as we would like to be treated.
  • We have three priorities: Community, Community, Community

Collaboration

  • We work together in spirit of mutual support and understanding to achieve our collective goals through teamwork.

Commitment  to quality  of care

  • We insist on quality and striving to get the basics right every time: safety, confidentiality, professional and managerial integrity, accountability, dependable service and good communication.  We welcome feedback, learn from our mistakes and build on our successes.

Hange

  • We innovate new ways of doing things and be open minded to reforms. 

Trust

  • We ensure maximum vulnerability and integrity to each other.

Continued Medical Education

  • Encouraging and achieving excellence, continual learning and improvement

Accountability and Responsibility

  • Being responsible and accountable for the outcome of services we provide

Ethics

  • Treating people with integrity and in a friendly, trusting and respectful manner and environment 

Respect and dignity.

  • We value each person as an individual, respect their aspirations and commitments in life, and seek to understand their priorities, needs, abilities and limits. We take what others have to say seriously. We are honest about our point of view and what we can and cannot do.

Compassion  

  • We respond with humanity and kindness to each person’s pain, distress, anxiety or need. We search for the things we can do, however small, to give comfort and relieve suffering. We find time for those we serve and work alongside. We do not wait to be asked, because we care.

Improving lives. 

  • We strive to improve health and well-being and people’s experiences of our hospital. We value excellence and professionalism wherever we find it – in the everyday things that make people’s lives better as much as in clinical practice, service improvements and innovation.

Working together for patients.  

  • We put patients first in everything we do, by reaching out to staff, patients, caregivers, families, communities, and professionals outside the hospital. We put the needs of patients and communities before organizational boundaries.

Everyone counts

  • We use our resources for the benefit of the whole community, and make sure nobody is excluded or left behind. We accept that some people need more help, that difficult decisions have to be taken – and that when we waste resources we waste others’ opportunities. We recognize that we all have a part to play in making ourselves and our communities healthier.

OBJECTIVES 

  • To enhance the provision of  comprehensive quality eye care 
  • To develop compassionate, respectful, caring ability among staff of the department
  • To increase customer satisfaction 
  • To produce competent, compassionate, respectful and caring health professionals 
  • To develop &/or implement evidence-based new technologies for clinical and support services as soon as possible
  • To enhance the culture of undertaking health problem solving researches by the staff and publishing on reputable national and international journals 
  • To improve staff clinical skill and  practice via in-service training 
  • To integrate and maximally utilize ICT  for  documentation, patient care and treatment