Mainstreaming Primary Eye Care Interventions into Primary Health Care System in Ethiopia (MAIPEC)

Date of Start
September 2021

Date of Completion
August 2026

Funder
Wellcome Trust UK

Aim
Identify a package of feasible and effective interventions for mainstreamed Primary eye health care (PEHC) service delivery within PHC in a low-income setting, in Sidama region, Ethiopia.

Background
Poor vision is a major public health problem worldwide. WHO estimates 2.2 billion people have some degree of vision impairment: at least one billion of these people have not had their need addressed. WHO Regional Office for Africa developed an algorithm-based PEC training manual for PHC personnel. However, there is very little data from low-income settings on how to sustainably deliver effective integrated PEC within PHC. This project will be executed in a sequence of inter-related studies across three phases. Phases 1 is focused on measuring eye health needs and understand the determinants of eye health service utilisation. After looking at the data from Phase 1, the health system capacity and preparedness assessment for PEHC mainstreaming will be conducted in Phase 2. The data generated in Phases 1&2 will be then used to co-identify, with key stakeholders, contextually appropriate, community owned-and-led interventions for mainstreamed PEHC services through Transdisciplinary Action Research (TDAR).

Progress
A Phase 1 study is currently ongoing, with ethical approval already obtained. A stakeholder engagement meeting and collecting a cluster (Gott) population data was completed.