“Africa is a unique continent with unique Eye Care challenges and needs. In fact, Africa carries a large burden of diseases without commensurate resources to respond appropriately. This is despite the rich and targeted contribution that native African medicine has made to modern medicine," says former president, Kgalema Motlanthe.
Since his appointment as International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) ambassador for 'VISION 2020: Sub-Saharan Africa' in 2014, Motlanthe has helped to raise awareness of the causes of avoidable blindness and the solutions available in the region.
The Human Resources for Eye Health Initiative will strengthen a network of African medical schools and affiliated teaching hospitals by providing training and infrastructure for better service delivery, building an African leadership network to lead the way towards the elimination of avoidable blindness and advocating for eye health to become an integral component of participating country’s health systems.
The initiative will benefit medical schools and teaching hospitals in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia. Implementation partners include South African Private Institution of Higher Education, and the Foundation for Professional Development.
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