When Gozitan ophthalmologist and former junior minister Franco Mercieca first landed in Guatemala to perform free eye surgeries last year, little did he know would take on a mission of his own in the remote, Central American region.

Witnessing countless individuals blinded by treatable conditions – often due to inadequate and unaffordable medical care – ignited his determination to improve the situation.

And after months of work and preparation, he managed to set up an eye clinic in a village run by a fellow Gozitan missionary, with €35,000 worth of state-of-the-art equipment that he funded entirely through donations from friends, colleagues, other professionals and businesses.

The clinic was equipped with €35,000 worth of state-of-the-art machinery

The clinic, officially opened in September, has started offering eye examinations from professionals to locals who cannot afford private care, as well as second-hand spectacles, which Mercieca and his friends collected from Maltese donors.

The clinic is housed in a building run by Santo Hermano parish in the region of Izabal, where Gozitan priest Anton Grech has been serving as missionary for more than 25 years.

“When I first visited the village, patients came to me with severe glaucoma left untreated for so long that it had almost blinded them entirely,” the former Labour MP explained.

“That is why we felt the clinic was an urgent necessity, to allow a local professional to examine patients and detect treatable conditions early on, preventing the problems from escalating into serious pathologies.”

Mercieca and other volunteers also collected scores of second-hand spectacles from Maltese people, carefully labelling and categorising them by prescription. These glasses were then donated to the clinic to be distributed to patients with matching prescriptions.

“The feeling of fulfilment and satisfaction you get from working in these remote regions is second to none,” he said.

“People there have almost nothing and the gratitude they show is deeper and more profound.” Mercieca was assisted by the GuateMalta Foundation, which has been working on missionary projects in Guatemala for 10 years.

The clinic was opened in September. Fr Anton Grech is on the far left

Surgeries by a Maltese team

Mercieca first visited the region early last year. He was among a team of medical professionals from Malta and around the world who travel on a voluntary basis to a separate, US-run parish in a nearby village to perform free eye operations, including cataract surgeries and corneal transplants.

Fr Anton Grech has been a missionary in Guatemala for more than 25 years. Photo: GuateMalta Foundation

The Maltese team, which he led, included two other ophthalmologists – Matthew Ellul and Kimberly Caruana – and nurse Mark Debono, and together they performed 120 surgeries over four days.

This service is not yet available in the Gozitan-run parish, but that is Mercieca’s next ambitious plan.

Together with Fr Grech they want to build an operating theatre at the clinic, allowing them to perform surgeries on-site and reduce the need for patients to travel.

This service is not yet available in the Gozitan-run parish, but that is Mercieca’s next ambitious plan

They also plan to organise medical missions to Guatemala more frequently to provide eye care and train local healthcare workers to ensure sustainability of services.

The Maltese team with Fr Anton Grech

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Know an inspirational Gozitan? Nominate them

Times of Malta is supporting the Rotary Club of Gozo in an annual event that recognises Gozo residents who go out of their way to make their community a better place.

In the first two editions last year and earlier this year, the Pride of Gozo Awards handed trophies to residents acknowledged for their acts, from saving another person’s life to raising environmental awareness, to bravely steering a ship in a storm.

Nominations for the third edition are now open and the club is asking the public to nominate more Gozo residents who deserve acknowledgement for a selfless deed.

Awards are given for a variety of categories, including volunteer of the year, professional of the year, young person of the year and business of the year, among others.

The final awards night will be held on February 27. The awards are sponsored by the Gozo Ministry. Anyone can nominate any Gozo resident by sending an e-mail on secretary@rotarygozo.org, describing why they think the individual deserves the award. Nominations are open until the end of the year.

The Rotary Club of Gozo holds events to raise funds for local and international causes.