Assam: Project SPECS of WHO will soon be Implemented in Assam
According to the WHO, at least 100 million Indians need spectacles but have no access to them.
GUWAHATI- The Project SPECS of World Health Organization will soon be implemented in Assam, for first time at this scale at the global level. This significant project, making WHO’s inaugural initiative in South East Asia, will be launched in technical collaboration of WHO, National Health Mission-GoI, Govt Assam and Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya, Guwahati, Assam.
In this context, a workshop to be held on 21st and 22nd November 2024 in Guwahati. The upcoming workshop will see participation from Country Head of WHO, Senior Officers from WHO HQ, Geneva and South East Asia Office, Key officials from the Govt. of India and the Govt. of Assam as well as prominent leaders of India in Community and Preventive Ophthalmology, and the members of the Global SPECS network.
Together an action plan will be devised for the successful rollout of this pioneering community based public health initiative. As a pilot phase, the project will initially focus on saturating refractive care services in three focus districts: Kamrup (Rural), Morigaon and Nagaon. The program will showcase the globally recognized “Sonapur Model” of eye care and its groundbreaking impact on reducing avoidable blindness.
Different Government departments will align to facilitate the project implementation. The service delivery model “Integrated People-Centered Eye Care”, will be based on Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya’ s community service framework and is envisioned to serve as a prototype model within WHO’s global initiatives.
This historic initiative is a key step under the SPECS 2030 project, aimed at combating refractive errors and achieving universal eye health access.
What is Refractive Errors..?
Refractive error of vision is a common eye condition that affects the way light is focused on the retina( (a light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of your eye), leading to blurred or distorted vision.
This condition can manifest in various forms and severity levels.
About SPECS 20230 Project
Millions around the world suffer from vision problems, with a significant portion in need of spectacles. However, access to eye care remains a challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
In response to this crisis, the 74th World Health Assembly, 2021 has embarked on an initiative called “Specs 2030” to provide integrated and people-centered eye care.
The initiative calls for coordinated global action amongst all stakeholders across 5 strategic pillars, in line with the letters of SPECS, to address the key challenges to improving refractive error coverage.
India’s Urgent Need for Vision Care
India is facing a huge challenge of providing eye care and glasses to millions of people who suffer from vision impairment due to uncorrected refractive errors.
According to the WHO, at least 100 million Indians need spectacles but have no access to them.
