FOR the past two decades, one man has worked tirelessly to help restore the vision of countless local residents.
Plying his trade at Swan Hill District Health, ophthalmologist Dr Safwat Bassili this month celebrated the 20th anniversary of his first trip up north.
Usually based in the Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg, Dr Bassili said it was a long but rewarding haul to travel to Swan Hill each month.
“Swan Hill has really become a second home for me and it’s one of the place I feel comfortable going to,” he said.
“It’s always very rewarding when people can’t see and then they can see again.”
Dr Bassili said a lack of services in regional areas was one of the reasons that prompted him to continue working in Swan Hill.
“I feel I’m fulfilling my real career by providing the service to patients who really need it,” he said.
“And the patients in Swan Hill are definitely different.
“I find it surprising that after a long wait they are always apologising to me rather than me apologising to them, which is different to the response of Melbourne patients who tend to complain.”
He added that he had seen “massive changes” to medical technology during the two decades he had been travelling north.
“Patients now enjoy much safer surgery,” he said.
Joyce O’Bree worked with Dr Bassili for 17 years and said she had felt proud to work beside him.
“He has given a lot to the community in Swan Hill and he has seen a lot of patients,” she said.
“Doing 10 operations per month — that’s quite a lot of people who can see because of him.
“He didn’t need to come to Swan Hill but because he enjoyed the people and the environment he comes back.”
And coming back is something Dr Safwat said he would continue to do.
“My plans are not changing and I hope the hospital can continue to support my work,” he said.
“I will continue to provide my best efforts to provide the best possible care for eye health.”
