The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) commends the Ophthalmological Society of South Africa (OSSA) for taking a principled stand against an attempt by the Islamic Medical Association (IMA) to exclude a distinguished Israeli paediatric ophthalmologist, from the OSSA 2025 Congress in Sandton, Johannesburg this week, says sazf national spokesperson Rolene MarkS.
Since November 2024, the OSSA organising committee has faced sustained pressure from certain members demanding that Professor Didi Fabian’s invitation to speak at the congress be rescinded. This campaign intensified in December and January, with the IMA calling for a boycott and threatening to involve political parties in a blatant attempt to intimidate event organisers, she says in a press statement.
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“While the OSSA local committee initially succumbed to this pressure and withdrew Fabian’s invitation, widespread public and member outcry followed,” she said.
In response, OSSA conducted a poll among its members regarding the attendance of the medical expert whose medical career is defined by humanitarian excellence, including providing lifesaving treatment for Palestinian children. An overwhelming 81.8% of OSSA members polled supported Fabian’s attendance, prompting the reinstatement of his invitation.
“The numbers speak for themselves. The Islamic Medical Association’s campaign was nothing more than a thinly-veiled attempt at discrimination and racism, targeting a respected medical professional purely due to his nationality and religion,” Marks stated.
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As the founder of the Global Retinoblastoma Study Group, Fabian has united experts from 153 countries to improve treatment for childhood eye cancer, a disease that disproportionately affects underserved regions. He has co-launched the Asian Retinoblastoma Group, spearheaded Africa’s first ISOO conference on eye cancer, and played a critical role in providing life-saving treatment for Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza, overcoming immense logistical challenges to transport them to Israeli hospitals.
Beyond the Middle East, Fabian has extended his work across Africa, treating children with retinoblastoma in Nigeria while training local doctors to build sustainable medical expertise.
“Professor Fabian’s unwavering dedication to saving lives transcends politics and prejudice. Medicine is not just his profession but his calling — to heal both physical ailments and the divisions created by hate,” Marks continued. “Those seeking to impose their ideological biases on the medical community should take note: the world is far richer with Professor Fabian’s contributions.”
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