Vision Excellence Awards: Anande Swai

Anande Swai is a trained Ophthalmic nurse (ON) and ophthalmic nurse equipment technician, who has been working in an eye unit for 20 years in rural areas of the Morogoro region and other parts of Tanzania. She is a very valuable asset in remote mobile eye health services, whereby she plays a double role as a technician and as an ON. The 55-year-old Anande Swai has served in Kigoma, Singida, Dar es Salaam, Mtwara and Ruvuma as ON. Her spirit of fairness in service provision is noticeable in the way she treats patients and influences quality and equal service. In the theatre, Mrs Swai is recognizable by her way of sterilizing and arranging equipment for surgeries.

“I am proud of my work, and I prefer to be there when people are being operated and during bandage removal. I feel fulfilled to see people retain their sight”. Mrs Swai prefers to work in the theatre where all the magic happens. “I like to counsel patients going for an operation and make them have faith in our safe and standard operation procedure”.