Ghanaian Ophthalmologist Dr. Thomas Baah Discusses Eye Care in Ghana
Dr. Thomas Tontie Baah is an ophthalmologist from Ghana, and this presentation was filmed at the Unite For Sight Fourth Annual International Health Conference at Stanford University on April 15, 2007.
Dr. Baah describes himself as a dedicated foot soldier in the frontline of the battle against preventable blindness. Devastated by the sudden and needles death of his mother's seventh born from measles, a preventable and treatable infection, Dr. Baah was challenged to become a doctor at the tender age of 12. He was in class six in a village school. He told everyone that he wanted to become a doctor, but he says that the odds were against him. Painful childhood experiences of living with a blind uncle who had gone blind long before he was born motivated him to pursue a career in ophthalmology. In 1998, Dr. Baah started an eye clinic in a mission hospital, the Our Lady of Grace Hospital in Breman Asikuma. The clinic has grown steadily over the years. It is now one of the leading eye clinics in Ghana in the forefront of the battle against preventable blindness. In addition to his training in ophthalmology in Ghana and India, Dr. Baah obtained his MSc in Community Eye Health in England. He was trained in India in phacoemulsification and other advanced ophthalmic techniques. His relationship with Unite For Sight started over a year ago, and he is a close partner of Unite For Sight.