Khawla Hafez Ma`ala

Khawla is a 65 year old lady from the village of Beita near Nablus. She has suffered from cataracts for more than two years but was reluctant to seek help because of her difficult financial situation. Her husband, who is 85 years old, has not worked for many years, and has very low vision himself.

They have 10 children, all of whom are married except one son who lives with them. Their only source of income is from the occasional work that he finds. All of the other children are married with families of their own to support. Neighbours help them with food when they can.

Khawla was first seen by our Outreach team when they visited her village, and was referred then to the Hospital in Jerusalem for cataract surgery. Her right eye was successfully operated on in July 2009 and her vision – which beforehand had been to count fingers only – improved to near perfect on the eye chart. The couple are registered as social welfare cases by the Palestinian Authority (PA), and are given free medical insurance, which would usually cover most of the cost of Khawla’s surgery. When her son went to the PA’s referral office for insurance to cover the left eye however, he was refused.

Fortunately, the St John Eye Hospital Group is able to draw on the legacy of the family of Australian Dr Ken Gullifer and his wife, who worked at the hospital some twenty years ago. As a direct result of their interest in the hospital, the Australian Women’s Fund specifically helps female patients in distress.

With the help of the Fund, the second operation was also very successful and Khawla was discharged on the day of her surgery. It is thought that she has some diabetic retinopathy in her left eye, which will require treatment, so she will continue her post-operative follow ups with us at the more convenient Anabta Centre.

Khawla has benefited from many of the Hospital Group’s vital services – Outreach, the surgical department of the Hospital in Jerusalem, the Women’s Fund and the satellite Clinic in Anabta. Without our help, her future – and that of her husband – could only have been placed in doubt.