Aboo Moossajee

Sadly, on June 24, T.E.S. Foundation lost one of its senior members, Mr Abobaker Moossajee, RN. Aboo was his name for his family, colleagues and numerous friends.

Born in Mauritius in 1937, Aboo left his home country at the age of 21 to attend School of Nursing in England. He moved to Switzerland in 1975 and lived in Lausanne where he performed as scrubnurse in ophthalmolgy working at the Jules Gonin Hospital with Prof Michel Gonvers and Prof André Mermoud, and at the Clinique Montchoisy. Aboo has 5 children living in Switzerland and Australia.

Aboo participated in the fisrt steps of T.E.S. Foundation with Alain Fong, RN, and was proud to be part of a team whose purpose was to help people from his home country. He participated in numerous missions at the Moka Eye Hospital in Mauritius, assisting Prof Cyrus Tabatabay, and teaching to ophthalmologic instrument nurses during surgery sessions. 

We shall always remember his kindness, the care he gave to those he knew and the brightness of his laugh.

The first mission was carried by Dr Cyrus Tabatabay, Dr Efstratios Mendrinos (HUG Geneva) and Aboo Moossajee. Dr Szilard Kiss, from Weill Cornell Medical School New York, joined them. A lot was done during these two weeks. Heavy retinal surgeries (vitrectomies) and corneal transplants were performed. Corneal grafts were donated by the Port Louis LIONS Club who helps the Moka Eye Hospital throughout the year.

For the last twelve months, T.E.S. Foundation has been working with the Port Louis LIONS Club on an important fund raising project. They hope to acquire an OCT - Optical Coherence Tomography, for the Moka Eye Hospital. This revolutionary new technology offers high-definition images of the different layers of the retina and the macula. This allows a better observation and thus, a better assessment of the treatment needed and its follow-up. Diabetes is widely spread in Mauritius and causes damages on the retina that, if not treated, can lead to blindness. The OCT would be of great help in the diagnosis, observation and treatment of retinal diseases due to diabetes.

From left to right: A. Moossajee, Dr H. Dawreeawoo, Dr F. Uteene , Dr C. Tabatabay, R. Dharma, Dr E. Mendrinos and Dr S. Kiss after a day in operating room.

Dr Moïra Bumbacher and Prof. André Roth carried the second mission in Mauritius during the two last weeks of January. Specialised in pediatric eye care, they examined numerous children and adults presenting severe strabismus problems and performed surgery for 24 of these patients.

During these two missions, T.E.S. Foundation donated instruments and material used for cataract, vitrectomy and strabismus surgery. This material, which is of great help to the Moka Eye Hospital, was acquired thanks to private and association donations. T.E.S. would like to express its gratitude to all those who, through their support, help the foundation accomplish its mission.

Operating theater nurses

Dr P. Padiachy from the Moka Eye Hospital and Dr E. Mendrinos from HUG Geneva

Patients entering the Moka Eye Hospital

IRIS, partner of T.E.S. Foundation, was founded in 1996 by Michèle Claudel, President. Its mission is to contribute to the improvement of eye care services in developing countries in Asia, more particularly in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Laos.

To celebrate this special evening, a piano recital was given by Julien Quentin, a French young musician who shares his time between Berlin, Geneva and New York, and who was awarded prices in the United States, Argentina and Italy . He played pieces from Robert Schubert, Félix Mendelssohn and Frédéric Chopin.

We wish to thank all those who showed their support by attending this special evening. We also would like to express our gratitude to all of you who contributed financially to help IRIS and T.E.S. accomplish their mission.

Your support makes the difference.

Moka Hospital surgeons and team during vitrectomy surgery.

In September, Dr Nicolas Leveziel, from Paris, stayed for three weeks in Mauritius, working with the medical team of the Moka Hospital. They consulted many patients and performed complex retinal surgery.

Dr Cyrus Tabatabay flew from Geneva to Mauritius on October 16, to work at the Moka Hospital and to meet people from Mauritius interested in helping T.E.S. Foundation acquire important medical instruments for the Moka Hospital.

Dr Tabatabay brought material from Switzerland used during surgery, such as intra-ocular lenses, and, especially, a indirect retinoscope used for daily clinical retina evaluation.

Prof D. D'Amico from New York Weill Cornell Medical Center with Dr C. Tabatabay

Dr Cyrus Tabatabay and Dr Harry Roux went to Mauritius for a one week mission. They consulted 120 patients and performed major surgeries, intravitreal injections and yag laser photocoagulations. 

T.E.S. and Moka Hospital team after a day in the operating theater.

Prof Donald d’Amico, Professor and Chairman, Dr Kiss Szilard, Assistant Professor, and Dr Chris Starr, Assistant Professor, from the Weill Cornell Medical Center of New York, Department of Ophthalmology, came for their first visit at Moka. They visited the hospital’s surgical facilities and assisted in the surgical theater.

Dr C. Starr, Prof D. D'Amico, Dr C. Tabatabay and Dr K. Szilard

Dr M. Bumbacher, from Geneva, and Dr S. Gunnoo Kowlessur, from Moka, during surgery on a child.

Prof. André Roth and Dr Moïra Bumbacher just came back from 2 weeks in Mauritius, working at the Moka Eye Hospital. Specialised in pediatric eye care, they examined, assessed and, when necessary, operated children suffering from strabismus. The local surgeons assisted them and also performed these complicated and delicate surgeries.

While operating, Dr Tabatabay explains every step of the surgery he is performing. Local surgeons can watch the surgery through the dual microscope used by Dr Tabatabay or on a screen as a camera is fixed on the bottom of the microscope.

On Thursday evening, T.E.S. team was kindly invited by the Minister of Health and Quality of Life, Dr Rajesh Jeetah, for a dinner given in the honour of Mr B. Gruson, general director of the H.U.G. (Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève).

Mr B. Gruson, General Director H.U.G. and Dr R. Jeetah, Minister of Health - January 8, 2009