The Sir Edmund Hillary Pacific Eye Scholarship

The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ has inaugurated a scholarship in memory of its late patron, Sir Edmund Hillary.

The Sir Edmund Hillary Pacific Eye Scholarship will allow Pacific eye doctors to study at the Tilganga Eye Centre in Nepal under Fred Hollows' great friend Dr Sanduk Ruit.

Dr John Szetu, medical director of the Foundation's regional training centre, the Pacific Eye Institute, welcomed the scholarship as there are so few scholarships available to Pacific doctors to receive postgraduate training.

 "This will make such a difference to blind people in the Pacific. It is wonderful that the Sir Edmund Hillary Pacific Eye Scholarship can link Pacific eye doctors to Nepal, such a special place for Sir Ed, and also a leading centre in eye care in developing countries," said Dr Szetu.

The scholarship will provide Pacific doctors with the opportunity to see a high quality, high volume Fred Hollows initiative in action, treating hundreds of patients daily. It continues the link between Fred Hollows, Sir Ed, the Pacific and Nepal, and promotes the opportunity for one developing country to help build the skills of another.