Dr. Steven Mattas recently returned to Louisville from Kampala,
Uganda, after spending the last decade developing and building a
mission hospital for ophthalmology. With support from the international
aid organization, Christoffel-Blindenmission (CBM, Germany), Dr.
Mattas developed Mengo Hospital Eye Unit into the leading provider
of eye care in Uganda, gaining recognition throughout East Africa.
In developing Mengo Hospital, Dr. Mattas became the first doctor
in Uganda to introduce the concept of quality control by documenting
cataract surgery outcomes and training staff to achieve results
according to the World Health Organization's standards. He helped
develop the staff at Mengo Hospital by organizing training for cataract
surgeons, ophthalmic clinical officers and ophthalmic assistants.
His efforts to modernize the care in Uganda went beyond developing
a hospital. He facilitated the training of ophthalmology residents
of  Makerere
University and organized cataract surgery-training courses in East
Africa. As Chairman of the Ophthalmological Society of East Africa,
Dr. Mattas planned an international seminar for ophthalmologists
and eye care specialists. He also participated with coordinating
the efforts of relief agencies in the prevention and treatment of
blindness in Uganda by organizing a network of safari clinics to
serve patients in remote areas.
“The goal from the beginning was to develop the eye hospital
and the staff so that Ugandan doctors would take over and run the
project,” Dr. Mattas said. “The most meaningful development
would be a hospital that did not depend on me to continue to work.”
The eye hospital and Dr. Mattas’ duties were successfully
transferred to his Ugandan colleagues in the summer of 2001. Dr.
Mattas returned to the Kentuckiana area shortly thereafter and today
the hospital in Kampala continues to operate successfully under
the new medical director.
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