Strategies for reducing visual impairment and blindness in rural and remote areas in Africa

Authors: Olalekan A. Oduntan,  Khathutshelo P. Mashige, Rekha Hansraj, Godwin Ovenseri-Ogbomo 

“Globally, many people live in rural areas where they experience poor health as a result, in part, of limited access to health services. In many countries, this limited access to health services in rural areas is the result of considerable imbalances between urban and rural health care services, and manifests in a number of ways; these include rural areas having limited availability of healthcare personnel, lack of social infrastructure (including electricity, water, access to information and communication technology), limited opportunities for professional development, and poor prospects for lucrative part-time private practice for health workers. Healthcare, including eye care provision, is a right of every member of society; therefore people living in rural and remote areas should receive similar levels of eye care to those living in urban areas.”