STRENGTHENING EYE CARE: CREATING A POSITIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH OPERATION EYESIGHT
The County Government of Nandi has forged a partnership with Operation Eyesight Universal. The plan is oriented towards provision of quality eye care services to all Nandi residents, including the vulnerable members of the community. In the partnership, the department of health will engage the County Department of Education where they will have school screening and trachoma programs. The partnership will ensure integration of primary eye care into primary health care and continuity of eye care services.
The County Department of Health and eye unit teams will be engaged from project identification and definition to cultivate project ownership and buy-in. Jointly with the County Government of Nandi, Operation Eyesight will identify gaps in the health system and plans the best way to narrow the gap within the context of competing needs and available resources. For instance, Operation Eyesight has, in the past, identified gaps in human resources for eye health and worked with County Departments of Health to identify staff and support them for specialized training in ophthalmology. Upon completion of training, these personnel are deployed to serve in the eye units.
The partnership will also entail training Community Health Volunteer (CHVs), who are responsible for prevention and promotion of health at level one of the health pyramid. The County Government of Nandi recognizes the critical role CHVs play, and will support their training in primary eye care to conduct door to door screening, identify eye conditions, provide counselling to patients and refer them to either Nandi Hills or Kapsabet Eye Units.