Taking eye care to the people in Ethiopia

Strengthening Integrated People Centred Eye Care (IPEC) to protect and restore sight to those most in need 

Bashadu Abdu lives alone in the centre of the bustling township of Dedo in Ethiopia’s Oromia region.  

She used to earn a living collecting wood from the forest, carrying it for up to five kilometres through rough terrain.  

 Bashadu stopped working three years ago after contracting malaria. While recovering from malaria, she noticed her vision deteriorating and after a hospital visit was diagnosed with cataract.  

 Despite the diagnosis, Bashadu could not afford treatment or the transport costs to access the help she needed.  

As a result, Bashadu spends most of her time inside her small home and relies on visits from her daughter Semira and the generosity of locals who assist her to navigate the uneven and sometimes muddy walking paths.  

“Being independent is important to me,” she said.  

Older people like Bashadu, who face significant barriers in accessing eye care in Oromia province, are being reached through outreach visits led by the Oromia Regional Health Bureau with the support of the University of Jimma and The Fred Hollows Foundation.  

 More than 700,000 people in Ethiopia are waiting for cataract surgery. Oromia, the country’s largest region, accounts for 300,000 of the cataract backlog.  

In this region, local people, who are mostly farming the land to make a living, face significant barriers to access eye health services.  

Roads are in poor condition and it is expensive to travel to larger urban areas for treatment and many people don’t make eye health a priority.  

Even on the walk to the local hospital at Dedo where this week’s outreach cataract surgery is located, Bashadu needs to be assisted along hilly, uneven, muddy roads by a helpful neighbour Awal.  

 The only solution is to deliver services to people where they live through these outreach programs which are part of a four-year comprehensive eye care project.  

The project, which started in 2022, is also strengthening the eye health system by training eye surgeons and workers, increasing surgical quality as well as acquiring and upgrading equipment.  

For Bashadu, cataract surgery will restore her independence. She will be able to walk to church by herself and not be dependent on her daughter Semira.  

“She used to be very independent and take care of herself. Once she gets her surgery she will be able to move around. Now I won’t have to come here all the time,” she said.  

 After successful cataract surgery at the local hospital, Bashadu is looking forward to regaining her independence.  

“I am very well. I am happy today. What is more exciting than this? There is nothing better in this world for me than having my sight back.”