BRAZILIAN INSTITUTE OF OPHTHALMOLOGY AND PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS (IBOPC) / HUMBERTO DE CASTRO LIMA HOSPITAL CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF ATTENTION AND PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS IN BAHIA

The Hospital Humberto Castro Lima/Brazilian Institute of Ophthalmology and Prevention of Blindness (IBOPC) celebrates, throughout this week, the 50 years of its existence. The celebrations began on the morning of last Monday (05th) with a ceremony at the institution's headquarters. On the occasion, founding employees, former employees, current collaborators and the institution's director, Dr. Maria Luísa Carvalho Soliani, participated in the inauguration of the commemorative plaque that honors the visionary idealizer of the Hospital, Dr. Humberto de Castro Lima.  

The week continues with an extensive program that will include the participation of health professionals, patients, former patients, employees of various social institutions and the community.

“This building is more than a physical construction. It is everything that contains and takes place here, it is a joint construction that has the participation of many people. But it is a special dream of a special man: Humberto de Castro Lima”, declared Dr. Maria Luísa. In her speech, she recalled how the honoree was a master not only in Medicine, but in life, “and as a master he never tired of teaching. I always learned and always wanted to share what I learned with others”, he said.

In turn, one of the Institute's pioneer physicians and first resident, Dr. Aidil Brito Araújo, who has been at the institution for 47 years, shared with those present the memories and stories lived side by side with the visionary physician from Bahia. “Dr. Humberto and the Institute worked in a symbiotic way”, declared Dr. Aidil.

Agenda

The activities developed during the Commemorative Week they are distributed between lectures and solemnities. On Tuesday (06), at 17 pm, the lecture “Heart at Work: quality assurance and good results” was held in the auditorium of Hospital Humberto Castro Lima/IBOPC, given by Dr. João Carlos Chagas Sampaio. 

In order to promote greater dialogue with the assisted communities, the Institution carried out, on Wednesday (07), two actions within health entities. At 09 am, the lecture “Prevention of Blindness in Newborns” took place at the Tsylla Balbino Maternity Hospital. The same activity took place, at 15 pm, at the Bahia Institute of Perinatology – IPERBA. The lecture is aimed at pregnant women and mothers of newborns.

"The aging of the world population: new ideas for a new challenge in the health area" is the name of the lecture to be held this Thursday (08) by Prof. Rubens Belfort Júnior, at 19:30 pm, at the Convention Center of the Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, located at the Cabula Academic Unit, which is located at Av. Silveira Martins, nº 3386, Cabula. The activity is aimed at health professionals and interested parties. Access is free.

To end the celebrations, on October 09th (Friday), at Hospital Humberto Castro Lima/IBOPC, activities will be held for patient staff, partners and employees of the institution.

History

Today, one of the largest and most respected ophthalmology services in the country, Hospital Humberto Castro Lima was founded in 1959 and is maintained by the Brazilian Institute of Ophthalmology and Prevention of Blindness (IBOPC). The entity was founded by Prof. Dr. Humberto de Castro Lima, one of the greatest specialists in Ophthalmology in Brazil.

The performance of Hospital Humberto Castro Lima/IBOPC in the Bahia community, over these five decades, has been characterized by the provision of services in the field of Ophthalmology, acting both in the prevention and treatment of eye diseases. In addition, the entity, through the Medical Residency, trains new professionals for clinical and surgical care.

Recognized by the medical-academic community as a reference institution in the treatment of visual diseases and in the prevention of blindness, the Hospital offers its services through health plans, the Unified Health System (SUS) and through philanthropic channels, completely free of charge.

Social actions

In 2007, 25.031 medical consultations, 59.972 complementary exams and 7.795 surgeries were carried out. In 2008, the institution carried out 32.002 medical consultations, 68.183 complementary exams and 6.500 surgeries; which totaled 92.798 procedures in 2007 and 106.685 in 2008, with 60% of these procedures being provided to the SUS.

The Hospital Humberto Castro Lima/IBOPC also develops in partnership with the Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública and with INCUBA/UNEB, the See Better Project which aims to bring Ophthalmology services free of charge to needy communities in Salvador. From February to May of this year, 09 visits were carried out with 1.339 patients treated in the communities Fazenda Grande II, Uruguay, Vista Alegre, Mata Escura, Brotas. In the month of July, the See Better Project he was in the Calabar community, where he saw hundreds of patients.