Edison Mutsinzi on behalf of CBM Italia Onlus, Italy
Aim
Improving eye care services and surgical outcomes at Kabgayi Eye Unit in Rwanda.
The project
In Rwanda more than 400,000 people have physical and visual impairment (5.02%) and cataract is the major cause of avoidable blindness (56.5%). There are only 17 ophthalmologists in the country for a population over 12 million and the rural poorest population has almost no access to eye health services. Poor access and quality outcomes of eye treatments in the country are mainly due to the critical shortage of ophthalmologists available; lack of specialized training for medical staff to guarantee high quality surgery outcomes, coupled with limited appropriate equipment.
The initiative will support: the training of two new doctors, increasing the number of ophthalmologists in the Unit; on-the-job training for 25 technical staff by expert external ophthalmologists; the purchase of innovative equipment for sterilization.
It is estimated that in 2017, 4,000 patients will be operated out of which 150-200 congenital cataract children and 30,000 consultations will be provided.
This will ensure long-term benefits for 4,000 operated patients from rural and deprived areas throughout Rwanda. Children are the target beneficiaries, as Kabgayi is the only Eye Unit in the country performing specialized pediatric eye surgeries.
