Primary eye care (PEC) is a vital component of primary healthcare (PHC) and is the cornerstone for the progress towards universal eye health coverage. While the concept of PEC is not new, with the increased focus of the global eye-health agenda on equity and people-centred care, it is critical to review experiences of delivering PEC in low- and middle-income countries and to identify common lessons learnt. This commentary builds on the available evidence and focuses specifically on three recently published evaluations of PEC in Sightsavers-supported programmes in Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Pakistan. It argues that systems thinking is critical in the delivery of PEC interventions, as only this approach can ensure that the integration of PEC into PHC is delivered in a comprehensive, coherent and sustainable way.
BT - International Health DO - 10.1093/inthealth/ihab062 IS - Supplement_1 LA - eng N2 -Primary eye care (PEC) is a vital component of primary healthcare (PHC) and is the cornerstone for the progress towards universal eye health coverage. While the concept of PEC is not new, with the increased focus of the global eye-health agenda on equity and people-centred care, it is critical to review experiences of delivering PEC in low- and middle-income countries and to identify common lessons learnt. This commentary builds on the available evidence and focuses specifically on three recently published evaluations of PEC in Sightsavers-supported programmes in Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Pakistan. It argues that systems thinking is critical in the delivery of PEC interventions, as only this approach can ensure that the integration of PEC into PHC is delivered in a comprehensive, coherent and sustainable way.
PB - Oxford University Press (OUP) PY - 2022 SP - i37 EP - i40 T2 - International Health TI - Primary eye care: opportunities for health system strengthening and improved access to services UR - https://academic.oup.com/inthealth/article-pdf/14/Supplement_1/i37/43288565/ihab062.pdf VL - 14 SN - 1876-3413, 1876-3405 ER -