146th WHO EB Agenda item 12: Integrated, people-centred eye care, including preventable blindness and impaired vision – Delivered by Dr. Sadre Alam, First Secretary (Geneva, 3-8 February 2020) 146th WHO EB Agenda item 12: Integrated, people-centred eye care, including preventable blindness an..
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146th WHO EB Agenda item 12: Integrated, people-centred eye care, including preventable blindness and impaired vision – Delivered by Dr. Sadre Alam, First Secretary

Thank you Mr. Chair,

 We recognize the global burden of blindness and visual impairment and its socio economic aspects. We launched our National Programme for Control of Blindness in 1976 with the goal of reducing the prevalence of avoidable blindness and are well positioned to achieve the target of reducing the prevalence to 0.3% by 2020.

Apart from cataract, refractive errors, corneal blindness and childhood blindness, the programme is equally focussed on other eye diseases associated with life style disease like diabetes and ageing process.

Mr. Chair,

We firmly believe and advocate promotive and preventive aspects of good eye health through IEC. Through use of Mobile Ophthalmic Units and Telemedicine (Tele-ophthalmology) we are making efforts to address the needs of disadvantaged and those in hard to reach areas and improve the quality and quantity of eye care services through development of trained manpower.

We reaffirm our commitment to the prevention and control of avoidable blindness. We appreciate the advisory role of WHO for control of blindness. We acknowledge the global efforts and reiterate the need for collaboration and sharing of knowledge and technical know-how among countries and stakeholders for complete elimination of avoidable blindness.

Thank you.