BUCKINGHAMSHIRE doctors are to help Ethiopian healthcare staff treat eye conditions.

Buckinghamshire NHS Hospitals NHS Trust has signed a memorandum of understanding to advise staff at Menelik II Hospital, in Addis Ababa.

Five senior staff members from the hospital visited the county to learn about ophthalmology services.

It came after staff from Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury visited the Ethiopian hospital.

A trust statement said there is a “chronic shortage of skilled staff, with just one ophthalmologist for every one million population” in Ethiopia.

Poor nutrition and disease means four million are blind or visually impaired, the statement said.

Consultant ophthalmologist Consuela Moorman said: “Visiting the hospital in Addis Ababa certainly put things in perspective, and enhanced our understanding of what staff there face on an everyday level.

“Their staff are skilled but the issue is the sheer volume of patients needing treatment – it’s overwhelming.

“The infrastructure they work in lets them down too as conditions are sometimes very difficult to work in.”

Menelik dean Professor Milliard Beyene said: “It’s difficult when you are on your own to tackle a problem of this size.

“Here at Stoke Mandeville Hospital we have seen marvellous facilities and really good staff.

“We hope that this partnership can directly improve the services we offer and the training programme we can provide to our own staff.”