The Samoa Ministry of Health (The Ministry) and The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ (The
Foundation) have signed a new five-year partnership agreement, from 2023 – 2028, with the
overall goal of reducing avoidable blindness and vision impairment in Samoa.

Both organisations have a long-standing successful relationship spanning nearly two decades
and have made significant progress in strengthening Samoa’s eye health system and enabling
access to quality eye care to tens of thousands of Samoans.
The partnership recognises that good vision and eye health enables broader development
objectives including over half of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
such as those linked to health and wellbeing, poverty, hunger, equity, education, gender
equality, and economic development.
This progress has included the training of 17 eye nurses and an ophthalmologist, ongoing
workforce training and development, and service design and expansion through adequate
medicines, equipment, consumables, and spectacle supplies.
Over the last 10 years, The Ministry and The Foundation have also worked together to support
the Pacific Outreach Team, based out of Fiji, to conduct nine surgical outreach visits to Samoa
to complement existing eye care services.
The Samoa Director General of Health, Aiono Dr Alec Ekeroma, says, “Over the years we have
worked closely with The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ to strengthen Samoa’s eye health system.
This has resulted in a strong relationship, and we are looking forward to continuing to work
together to train more doctors and nurses and expand quality eye health services for our

people. We also want to have an increased understanding of our eye health landscape,
meaning good quality data and research is a priority.”
Dr Audrey Aumua, Chief Executive Officer of The Foundation, says, “We look forward to being
part of Samoa’s journey as they continue to grow their eye health system to meet the needs of
all Samoans, regardless of where they live. It also reflects The Foundation’s commitment to
work respectfully with Pacific governments and stakeholders as they continue to determine,
lead, and strengthen their own eye health systems.”
The new five-year partnership aims to achieve the following shared objectives:
1) Samoa has strong and effective governance and leadership capacity in eye health;
2) A competent Samoan eye health workforce is delivering accessible and quality eye care
services;
3) Samoa has a strengthened eye health capacity and services integrated into its health
system that meets the current and future needs of all Samoan people; and
4) Samoa’s eye health information system and data is enabling stronger eye health
planning and policy development.
A key immediate priority for the partnership is the training of a second ophthalmologist and
additional eye nurses. The Ministry also intends to undertake a national eye health prevalence
survey (Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness) to generate critical data on the status of
avoidable vision loss in Samoa.
The new partnership contributes to the vision of A Healthy Samoa as articulated in the Samoa
Health Sector Plan FY2019/20 – FY2029/30, as well as the mission of enhancing public health
to provide people-centred health services.