COMMUNITY SERVICE DELIVERY
Blindness and visual impairment are significant public health issues in our country and region. The programs that we, the Rwanda International Institute of Ophthalmology (RIIO), deliver are sensitive to the fact that:
- Geographically, socially and economically disadvantaged communities and individuals often lack culturally relevant health information
- Access to care is often impeded by a myriad of constraints
OUR OBJECTIVES
- Engage and support key national partners and collaborate with local health departments to deliver relevant eye health services. This includes, but is not limited to, district hospitals operating without ophthalmologists as well as medical referral boards.
- Implement vision surveillance programs and evaluation systems in specific communities such as those bordering trachoma endemic districts in neighbouring countries and premature babies at risk of retinitis of prematurity.
- Contribute to the elimination of eye health disparities by focusing on at-risk populations such as diabetics and those living in underserved districts.
- Integrate eye health interventions into existing public health programs including systems for non-communicable diseases in order to increase visibility and efficiency.