Location: Somalia

Dr. Said H Gedi founded Community Eye Hospital in Mogadishu in 2017 to address the lack of eye care services. He has performed over 20,000 surgeries and leads national eye health initiatives.

Dr. Said Hussein Gedi, a Consultant Ophthalmologist, founded Community Eye Hospital in Mogadishu in 2017 due to the lack of dedicated eye care facilities, Senior lecturer, Somali National University. The hospital currently has 10 beds and performs 10 surgeries per week, though outreach programs significantly increase this number. Plans are underway to expand capacity to 50-100 beds with support from LCIF. Dr. Gedi has conducted over 20,000 cataract and ocular surgeries across Somalia, supported by organizations like MSF, Qatar Charity, Islamic Development Bank, and Charity Vision. He also serves as a senior lecturer at Somali National University and is the Technical Advisor for National Prevention of Blindness at the Ministry of Health, leading efforts to develop Somalia’s first national eye health strategic plan since 1991. A member of Lions Club Afgoye, Dr. Gedi has led school screening programs and initiatives for children with disabilities. He expresses gratitude to the Bavarian Lions Club for sponsoring four Somali ophthalmologists. Seeking to enhance eye care services, he hopes to establish a Sister Club partnership with Lions Club Germany or Bavarian Lions Club to expand Sight First programs, improve infrastructure, train eye health workers, and acquire advanced ophthalmic equipment.