Dear Editor,
Back in May 2022, the World Health Organisation, via the World Report on Vision, estimated that without urgent action, the number of people who are blind could triple by 2050. This World Report on Vision drew attention to the growing need for eye health services, provided a set of recommendations to increase equitable access to eye care, and proposed the integration of people-centred eye care services. In revisiting this document, I was happy to note that the Ministry of Health is quite ‘on top of things’ vision-wise for the nation.
I see that just recently, it was reported that the “Government rolled (their) out eye-testing & spectacles initiative at Mahaicony, Enmore & Diamond.” This is in keeping with their 2020-2025 manifesto, a commitment geared at enhancing the lives of citizens. This phase of the programme was hosted at the Dundee and Diamond Health Centres and at Enmore Hope Primary School. From what I gathered, those eligible for this unrolling really and rightfully capitalised on it, as over 2,000 persons had already benefitted from eye-testing and some of those who were tested had received spectacles.
Further, and according to Dr. Anthony, Minister of Health, “ … individuals diagnosed with cataracts during the screening would be added to a treatment list, (and) if we detect, apart from you needing glasses, that you have cataracts, then we will put you on a list and we will be able to do those surgeries for you.”
I urge that this goodwill venture be fully utilised. It is geared for individuals aged 18 and under, and those 65 and older, and it also offers a $2,000 voucher for eye screening and $15,000 to cover the cost of spectacles, if required. This must not be taken lightly. Vision care is costly and its importance must be prioritised.
The word from Sumrana Yasmin, Sightsavers’ senior global technical lead for eye health, who was part of the team that developed elements of the mentioned guide, is that “Eye health is an often-forgotten element of health and wellbeing, and this has led to a mounting global crisis. The World Health Organisation (WHO) guide is a vital step to addressing this. She detailed that “The big task ahead is to make sure that long-term investment, policies and resources are in place to achieve recommendations set out in the World Report on Vision and make use of the tools in the guide. To improve eye health and universal health coverage, it is essential that there be collaboration between governments, non-government organisations, private sector and other stakeholders, and eye health services be integrated into wider health and education systems.”
I reiterate that this outreach is a commendable effort from the Ministry of Health officials, as “… it aims to alleviate financial burdens associated with eye care, while enhancing access to vision correction services nationwide … it is free of cost and it is good.
Sincerely,
Hargesh B Singh
