The Gambia Eye Health Programme
The Gambia’s Ministry of Health and Sightsavers have a strong partnership in the area of eye health which dates back to 1983. The National Eye Care Programme (NECP) was established in 1986 by the Gambia Government in close collaboration with Sightsavers following a baseline survey that revealed a national blindness prevalence rate of 0.7%.
The overall goal of the NECP is to contribute towards improving the quality of life of the Gambian population by reducing the burden of blindness. In pursuant of this goal, the programme seeks to achieve a comprehensive and high quality eye care service, which is accessible and affordable to all Gambians in line with the goal of Vision 2020 “The Right to Sight”. The successful implementation of two five-year plans between 1987 and 1997 reduced the blindness prevalence rate from 0.7% to 0.4%. Active trachoma has also been reduced from being the second leading cause of blindness in 1986 to the fifth in 1996. The prevalence of trachoma in 1996 was 5%.
In 1997 the NECP, in partnership with Sightsavers, developed a three-year project to consolidate and expand eye care services in the country. The project was implemented from April 1998 to March 2001 and was jointly financed by Sightsavers and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The NECP is currently in its fifth phase, which commenced in 2010 and runs up to 2014.
So far, 3 independent evaluations of the NECP have been undertaken, results of which have shown remarkable successes and areas for improvement. The findings from the last evaluation conducted in March 2008 revealed some major achievements which include the following -
- A cataract surgical rate of more than 2,200 per million population has been achieved in 2008. This is close to the estimated national target of 2,400 per million population.
- The number of health regions with resident cataract surgeons have increased (from 5 in 1998 to more than 12 in 2010) and two Gambian nationals have been trained (1 Diploma in Ophthalmology (DO) and 1 Optometrist).
The overall goal of the NECP is to contribute towards improving the quality of life of the Gambian population by reducing the burden of blindness. In pursuant of this goal, the programme seeks to achieve a comprehensive and high quality eye care service, which is accessible and affordable to all Gambians in line with the goal of Vision 2020 “The Right to Sight”. The successful implementation of two five-year plans between 1987 and 1997 reduced the blindness prevalence rate from 0.7% to 0.4%. Active trachoma has also been reduced from being the second leading cause of blindness in 1986 to the fifth in 1996. The prevalence of trachoma in 1996 was 5%.
In 1997 the NECP, in partnership with Sightsavers, developed a three-year project to consolidate and expand eye care services in the country. The project was implemented from April 1998 to March 2001 and was jointly financed by Sightsavers and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The NECP is currently in its fifth phase, which commenced in 2010 and runs up to 2014.
So far, 3 independent evaluations of the NECP have been undertaken, results of which have shown remarkable successes and areas for improvement. The findings from the last evaluation conducted in March 2008 revealed some major achievements which include the following -
- A cataract surgical rate of more than 2,200 per million population has been achieved in 2008. This is close to the estimated national target of 2,400 per million population.
- The number of health regions with resident cataract surgeons have increased (from 5 in 1998 to more than 12 in 2010) and two Gambian nationals have been trained (1 Diploma in Ophthalmology (DO) and 1 Optometrist).