 Monday, January 30, 2023
In addition to being an internationally recognized ophthalmologist, he is dedicated to social activities in vintage cars and the dissemination of the customs of the Irish people in our country.
The doctor Jorge Foster is a specialist in Ophthalmology, with a recognized prestige in Pergamino and the region. He has been attending for a quarter of a century in the clinic that he himself installed on the corner of Merced and General Paz, a few years after receiving his degree. There he not only provides his care, but also receives doctors from the new generations who need to do his residency. In 2022, the Clinic celebrated its 25th anniversary.
It is a space dedicated to the integral care of ophthalmological health, of great importance, authorized by the Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires.
And in recent days he has received a very important appointment at the international level, to prevent blindness in the world; representing the Latin American region.
“I had been working at Pergamino in the office for ten years -says Foster- and I felt the need to operate and have the operating room and laser part in the same place, given the development, progress and growth of the specialty, driven by due to the growth of ophthalmological medicine, which in a few years took a significant turnaround.When one knows that the specialty one is practicing has grown and the horizons begin to shift, what one should do is accompany this growth and then the physical spaces start to shrink. The clinic was conceived out of that.”
-Before starting to study. How was her life in childhood and adolescence?
– My life in Parchment was beautiful. At those ages, just having the parents alive and well is a blessing. Primary School No. 1 and the National College later, filled my life with wonderful memories that, even today, we talk about with classmates from that time when we passed each other on the street, or at an event.
– Is it very difficult to adapt to the scientific advances in the specialty of Ophthalmology?
– Yes. It is usually difficult because it requires a lot of effort. It is continuous and begins in the first minute that one practices medicine. It also costs more in low-income countries. You have to calm down and always evaluate the possibilities that exist to do things.
– What do you consider more important to sustain a Clinic, more professionals or more technology?
– Medicine, in all its specialties, is a Humanist Profession. You deal with people. Human beings who have ailments. An excess of technology could greatly dehumanize the work, since patients only see machines, devices and equipment, without contact with doctors, and that is not good. The Doctor provides criteria, empathy, affection and sensitivity to resolve cases. A machine would never give him that. So, there is a balance between technology and the doctor, they must complement each other.
– In recent days you have received a very important international appointment.
– Since January 3 I became a member of the Board of Directors of the IAPB. It is the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness in the world. It is headquartered in London, oversees and directs all actions to minimize avoidable blindness in the world. I represent the Latin American region. I already had a Meeting in Mexico, there will be another in March in Buenos Aires and in June in Singapore. It is a task of detecting pockets of global blindness and addressing the solution. The Organization’s maximum objective is “Zero blindness in the year 2030”.
– What other activities do you do outside of Medicine?
– Several, there are always other things to do. As Galen, the doctor of Ancient Rome, would say: “He who only knows medicine, doesn’t even know medicine.”
I have been an Irish citizen since 1991. In 2015 I founded the Irlanda Joven en Pergamino Association, to disseminate Irish culture, arts and customs throughout the Argentine Republic. For this reason I have been a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Irish Societies since that date. In 2021 I obtained the diploma in Irish Studies from USAL and I always try to build community.
My other great passion is the classic cars of a well-known German brand, with whom I enjoy every moment and allows me a beautiful social life with many people who are into the same thing.
Since 1982, as a result of a professional trip that I made to Medellin, Colombia, I began to study and investigate the biography of Carlos Gardel, until today.