Developing the next generation of eye health champions across the Commonwealth
THE CHALLENGE
Low and middle income countries have limited financial and human resources for eye health. Eye health professionals in these settings often have to make management and planning decisions, yet public health is often not covered in clinical medical curricula. There is a need for strong leadership at government level to plan and design national eye care strategies that can be effective in the context of low resource settings.
THE SOLUTION
The Consortium provides scholarships to study public health masters and post graduate diploma programmes in South Africa and the UK to help equip ophthalmologists and eye care managers from low and middle income countries with the skills and knowledge they need to implement effective, sustainable strategies to prevent and treat blindness in their settings.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Through the Consortium, over 35 scholars from low- and middle-income countries will graduate in Public Health courses from University of Cape Town and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Graduates from the courses go on to take leadership positions at Ministries of Health, join international Eye NGOs, plan and manage service delivery in eye health and progress to a research career in international eye health.
