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Award-winning nurse transforms eye care globally

7 May 2025

Primrose Magala, founder and CEO of Eye Health Africa and Senior Ophthalmic Nurse Practitioner at Moorfields Eye Hospital, was honoured last month with the Outstanding Achievement Award at Global Health Partnerships’ 2025 Diaspora Awards Ceremony.

This prestigious award recognises exceptional contributions to healthcare improvement both in the UK and in countries of heritage, as well as leadership in fostering diaspora engagement in global health.

A vision for change

Originally from Uganda, Primrose has dedicated her career to bridging the stark disparities in eye care between the UK and Uganda.

In my home country, people live with cataracts until they die, whereas here, a cataract is removed within 20 minutes and within 2 hours a patient is discharged and can leave with all the necessary medication and support.

Determined to make a difference, she founded Eye Health Africa and with the support of Professor Lyndon da Cruz, a renowned Bionic expert and consultant ophthalmic surgeon, launched the first UK-Uganda exchange programme in 2017. Partnering with Lubaga Hospital, one of Uganda’s largest non-profit hospitals, the initiative quickly exposed the overwhelming demand for eye care, seeing over 2,000 patients on its first day alone.

This programme has since trained over 50 ophthalmologists in Uganda and helped transform Lubaga’s eye department into a centre of excellence, with rewards back to the UK’s own consultants and health system.

Over time, thanks to additional resources, Lubaga has transformed its eye department from a small referral system to a centre of excellence. We support complex cases; children travel up to 400 miles to receive our help. This project supports the local community and teaches local and NHS healthcare workers. The exposure has allowed junior doctors to become educators and consultants. In fact, one consultant said he did things he had never done in four days in Uganda compared with seven years of working in the NHS. This is the impact we are making on the NHS.

Expanding global health initiatives

Primrose seized an opportunity in 2023 to secure a Global Capacity Building grant from Global Health Partnerships, expanding her work into neonatal care. The project has since:

Donated high-performance oxygen concentrators and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines to Hoima Regional Referral Hospital.
Screened over 160 preterm babies, identifying and treating 24 cases of retinopathy of prematurity, saving their sight.
Trained more than 30 healthcare workers through physical and virtual sessions.
Placed over 10 NHS volunteers in Uganda, contributing over 1,000 hours of service.
Conducted 15+ high-level engagement meetings with the Ugandan Ministry of Health and key stakeholders.

One NHS volunteer working with Primrose shared, “Uganda holds a special place in my heart. I was shocked to find no ophthalmologists on site, leaving dedicated clinical officers to manage with limited resources. I left Uganda, but Uganda has not left me.”

The power of collaboration

Primrose remains a firm believer in the power of partnerships.

“In a time of aid cuts and resource limitations, collaborations are crucial – not just for low-income countries but also for NHS professionals who gain invaluable experience,”

She encourages more NHS staff to volunteer, emphasising that their contributions save countless lives. Primrose Magala’s leadership and unwavering commitment to equitable healthcare continue to inspire, proving that diaspora-driven initiatives can have a lasting impact on both local and global health systems.

Inspired by Primrose’s journey?

Discover more stories of diaspora leadership and impact in our Voices of the Experts in Our Midst Report.

Are you a diaspora voice in healthcare with a story to share?

We would love to hear from you!

Share your story with us at experts@thet.org

This post was written by:

Sawdah Mohamed - Policy and Engagement Coordinator

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