In rural districts of Tanzania’s Tabora region, medical care is often inadequate. Specialists such as ophthalmologists are particularly scarce. For those affected, this means preventable blindness — even though a simple operation could, in many cases, restore their sight.
One who sees the effects of this gap every day is Dr. Amos Mahona. “Our patients travel long distances, sometimes 200 kilometres, just to reach this hospital,” he said. “And when they get here, we have to tell them we can’t help.
We feel bad because this hospital was built to help the poor. But we don’t have eye specialists.” He is the medical officer in charge of St. John Paul II Hospital, which lies in one of these rural districts in Tabora.
Thanks to MAF, hope for a brighter future is growing among the people in the region. For the first time, MAF flew renowned Tanzanian eye surgeon Dr Erick Msigomba and his team from Njombe to Tabora to carry out eye surgeries.
“Most of the patients here have blindness that can be reversed — simple cataracts,” the doctor explained. “It’s not total blindness. With just a little help, we can restore their sight.”
Over the course of a few days, Dr Msigomba and his team saw 200 patients and performed 60 cataract surgeries. Among them was Rozalia Masanja Mayunga, who lost her sight two and a half years ago.
She could no longer care for herself. “Every day I prayed, ‘My God, help me. I am tired of this kind of suffering,” said the 75-year-old.
“I was told by my children that doctors were coming. I made up my mind to go for treatment. I was so excited about it,” she said.
“They removed something like a scarf from my eyes, and I started seeing,” she said. “Now I can walk on my own. I’ll cook and eat instead of begging people. They will see me at home walking, and they will be shocked.”
Dr Msigomba would never have made the journey by road; it would have taken two full days, over dusty, bumpy terrain, risking damage to the delicate instruments. The doctor is grateful: “But MAF dropped me safely, with all my tools.”
Despite the success of this mission, Dr Msigomba estimates that many more people await treatment. Stewart Ayling, MAF’s Country Director in Tanzania agrees. “Having seen the impact of the work, our whole team is motivated to ensure this camp is the first of many.”
STORY & PHOTOS / ANNET NABBANJA
This story was originally published in "Flying for Life - Summer 2026." To read the full issue, click here.