Health ministry to integrate eye care into community health platforms

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health has unveiled a new initiative to integrate eye health services into Uganda’s community health system in an effort to combat the rising burden of vision impairment across the country. Announcing the plan, Dr. Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services, said the ministry is collaborating with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and Evidence Action to distribute over 50,000 reading glasses to communities with high levels of visual impairment.

“Our essential care packages include health promotion, prevention, curative, rehabilitation, and palliative care. The donation of reading glasses is part of the rehabilitation component,” said Dr. Olaro. He added that priority will be given to high-risk areas such as Kaliro and the Bukedi region.

Joy Batuusa, Country Director of CHAI, explained that the effort stemmed from the need to address the challenges faced by persons with disabilities. She noted that CHAI had already distributed 16,500 reading glasses during a pilot phase, targeting eye health as one of the most common health issues among adults.

Richard Kibuuka, Country Director of Evidence Action, revealed that 6 in 10 Ugandans aged 40 and above suffer from some degree of vision loss. His organization has donated 36,000 non-prescription reading glasses worth USD 36,000 and plans to provide free vision screening services to more than 25,000 people in Budaka and Mbale districts.

“Uganda must continue to prioritize eye health in its community health policies and collaborate with partners to achieve improved health and well-being,” Kibuuka said. The Ministry of Health estimates that about 3.1 million Ugandans live with vision loss, including 83,000 people classified as blind and nearly half a million suffering from moderate to severe low vision. The integration of eye care into primary health platforms is expected to significantly improve access to early diagnosis and low-cost interventions.

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