CBM Project to Strengthen Eye and Ear Health Services in Three Counties
Mombasa,
Eye, ear and hearing services in Mombasa, Nakuru and Kakamega counties will be strengthened through CBM’s Vision Impact Scale-Up Project, launched in Mombasa to expand screening, referral, treatment and follow-up care.
The project comes as Kenya continues to address a significant burden of preventable visual impairment. Approximately 200,000 Kenyans are blind, 1.5 million live with significant visual impairment and 9.6 million are affected by uncorrected refractive errors. Up to 80 per cent of visual impairment is preventable or treatable, while cataracts account for approximately half of blindness in the country.
Kenya also recorded 837,416 cases of ear disease in 2022, including 264,789 among children under five. An estimated 15 per cent of adults aged over 50 experience hearing problems, while 14 in every 1,000 children have moderate to severe hearing loss.
Funded by CBM and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Vision Impact Scale-Up Project will target 1,269,530 people, comprising 656,033 community members and 613,497 learners.
The project will support 5,772 cataract surgeries, provide 50,719 spectacles and train 3,285 eye and ear health personnel. It will also strengthen health facilities, referral systems, digital patient tracking, governance and community awareness.
Director of Curative and Nursing Services Dr Andrew Toro said the project aligns with the Ministry of Health’s efforts to integrate inclusive eye, ear and hearing services across primary healthcare facilities, schools and communities.
The Ministry is establishing 315 Primary Care Networks across all 47 counties, has equipped and digitised 107,831 Community Health Promoters and is integrating routine sensory screening into school health services. Kenya’s first National Healthcare Referral Policy is also being developed to strengthen pathways from screening to specialised treatment, rehabilitation and follow-up care.
Dr Toro said the project will help ensure that screening leads to timely treatment and continued care, supported by digital tools such as PEEK Vision.
Chief Guest and CBM Director for Inclusive Health Dr Babar Qureshi called for stronger delivery of eye, ear and hearing services across primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care.