Pacific leaders are driving transformative change in their countries, leading efforts to strengthen eye healthcare systems and build skilled local workforces.
Dr John Szetu has been with The Foundation since it started delivering programmes in the Pacific in 2001. He currently holds the position of Medical Director, based at the Regional Eye Centre in the Solomon Islands, where he works as an eye doctor.
Among his myriad other achievements, Dr Szetu (with the support of The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ) established the Pacific Eye Institute in 2006, a training centre for Pacific eye health workers now located in Suva, Fiji. Around the same time, he formed the Pacific Eye Care Society (PacEYES) to represent the interests of eye care professionals working in the Pacific Islands region. Dr Szetu also held the position of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Western Pacific Region Co-Chair for the Pacific Islands Sub–Region from 2009–2012.
