Assessment of Human Resource for Eye Health Services in Southern Ethiopia.

Abstract Background Human resources in eye health are critical to significant reductions in blindness and low vision on a global and regional scale. Blindness and visual impairment affect the quality of life, poverty rates, and employment and educational opportunities of people with visual impairment. This study aimed to assess the availability and distribution of human resources for eye care to determine gaps in eliminating preventable and treatable blindness. Methods The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data was collected on the type and number of eye care professionals and their distribution from all government, private, and NGO/Mission eye care facilities in the two regions. Result Out of the 77 public hospitals and 642 public health centers, only 39 (5.4%) have been provided eye care services. A total of 48 facilities were provided with eye care services, each of which served 388,765 populations in two regions. Thirty-nine (81.3%) were government-owned, 5 (10.4%) were private for-profit, and 4 (8.3%) were NGO/Mission owned. In these facilities, a total of 217 eye care professionals were practicing: of these, 30 were ophthalmologists, 10 cataract surgeons, 93 optometrists, 62 ophthalmic nurses, 6 ophthalmic officers, one low vision specialist, and 15 optical technicians. The mean number of cataract operations performed per unit was 860 (Range: 30–2,800). The CSR of the SNNPR and Sidama regions was 1086 operations/ million population/year in 2022. From all level eye care centers in the study area, 50% provided cataract surgery services, 19% provided glaucoma surgery services, and 90% provided refraction services. Only one facility had pan-retinal photocoagulation (PRP) and Intravitreal injection services. However, none of the facilities provided a vitro-retinal surgery service. Conclusion The human resource for eye care in southern Ethiopia must be improved, falling far below the numbers required by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the IAPB Africa Strategic Plan. Eye care professionals need to be better distributed, as there is a severe shortage of ophthalmic professionals in rural regions. Most of the human resources for the eye health workforce in the area are located in urban cities.