Bangladesh has over 180 million people with the majority living in rural areas. Visual impairment and avoidable blindness are considered to be major public health problems. The age standardized prevalence of blindness is 1.53% which is 8,50,000 blind persons in Bangladesh, of which around 80% are due to cataracts. The current Cataract Surgical Rate (CSR) is 1600/million/year which needs to be increased at least three folds to address cataract backlog of the country. Cataract backlog, inadequate skilled human resources, poor management systems and lack of effective community-based interventions are the major barriers posing challenges to sustainable quality eye care services particularly in rural areas, in order to achieve the expected CSR.
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Project Objectives:
- To reduce eye related problems, building awareness to the community people about eye care services.
- To lead a normal visionary life, providing general
- eye treatment to the underprivileged people.
- To restore eye vision, performing successful modern techniques cataract surgery.
- To keep people aware about eye care, wash and sanitation, health & hygiene rules and COVID-19 pandemic.
- To lead lifelong happy moment, prevention of child age eye problem and giving curative measures at rural level.
- To make opportunity for eye treatment of very poor people, tribal community and people with disability.
- To ensure the accessibility of eye care facility in the rural remote areas.
Project Outcomes
- Divisional Eye care plan approved and implemented in Khulna and Chittagong Division
- Eye Care facilities are improved quality eye care services.
- Women and indigenous group have improved access for prevention, detection and treatment of eye health diseases
- Improved gender equity in access to and delivery of eye health services
- Create accessibility in eye health for tribal and transgender community
- Demand created at the community level to seek eye care services at nearby eye health facilities
- Raise awareness on eye care and Health care.
Project Outputs
- Poor people (especially women and marginalized groups) have improved access to eye care facilities for management and treatment of eye care services
- Poor people (especially women and marginalized groups) are provided with subsidized eye care services
- Poor people (especially women and marginalized groups) are provided with free eye care services and eye surgeries specially Cataract, Glaucoma and DCR
- Poor people (especially physically challenged and indigenous community) are provided with free eye care services, Spectacle services and eye surgeries specially Cataract, Glaucoma and DCR
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Challenge, Learning, Monitoring & Evaluation
- Post COVID-19 pandemic situation and War Crisis in Ukraine has negative impacts on Socio economical condition of rural community
- Outreach programs Organized During Rainy season cost more to find cataract and RE cases.
- Transport cost increased rapidly due to price hike of fuel and others daily necessaries.
- Gender inequality and discrimination is still a critical issue in eye care
- Shortage of funds to support a greater number of poor patients
- Ensuring Safety gear and hygiene materials for staff and patients are costly
- Limited resource and funds to access and address to huge backlog of eye care
- Monitoring and Evaluation of Project Activities
- Proper monitoring, identification and analysis of problems of the target population assessed by us using field visit, community participation, and local government suggestions.
- Online meeting, Discussion, field visit and supervision with donors and project staffs and Management team increase project performance and strength
- Problems are identified and possible solutions worked out and implemented.
- To implement the project components, we have justified the feasibility of the region to know the socio-economic condition, eye treatment facilities, community awareness and education related to their rights of treatment and facilities.
- Several meetings with the community peoples were conducted to implement the programs. The immediate results of the programs were also discussed with the community people and local government.
- Individual camp report; Register and documents, MIS, narrative progress reports; Field Visit & Reports, Camp Evaluation Reports and personal interviews are the indicators to assess project impact.
- Case story and feedback from patients improve community standards protocols and guidelines for community outreach activities
- Supervision and action planned for the next quarter based on the successful implementation of current project activities
Lesson Learned during the Project
- Outreach program supports community people and supports in eye health
- Community response support in hospital patients flow and contribute in revenue
- Laboratory examination like CRP, CBC will ease to screen primary stage of infectious Diseases like COVID by own laboratory
- Quality of services improves quality of life of our beneficiaries
- Demand based Supply ensure smooth functioning and financial management
- Tele-ophthalmology service is important for managing primary conditions and follow-up services
- Vision points and or fixed health facility are functional and effective method of patients screening and service delivery
- Quality outcomes in surgery bring more patients in base hospital
- Good vision increases quality of life and financially viable patients
- Safety measures and protocols are very much effective for infection, prevention and control of infectious diseases.
- Vaccination and Awareness program increase health and people safety in the rural community.
- Gender and group wise screening program and day observation like National Mourn Day ensure participation of target group and raise awareness.
