Nepal completes new ECSAT Assessment to strengthen eye care
Nepal has officially released the results of its Eye Care Service Assessment Tool (ECSAT) evaluation in early 2025.
Key summary findings of ECSAT in Nepal:
- Leadership and governance: Strong leadership is evident, though political commitment could be stronger. Integration across health policies and programmes is largely successful, with room for improvement.
- Eye care service delivery – access: Limited access to eye care disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities. This focuses on the disparity in access between different populations. viii Eye Care Situation.
- Eye care service delivery – quality: The community lacks access to well-researched and effective eye care interventions. This has led to a perception of low quality and limited effectiveness
- Eye care workforce and infrastructure: The team is adequately staffed, with some flexibility to accommodate occasional shortfalls or surges in workload. The necessary infrastructure and equipment are largely available to ensure effective service provision. Spectacles need to be recognised as medical devices.
- Eye care financing: Eye care costs create a financial burden for many. While some health insurance plans cover vision care, these plans often don’t fully address the needs of low-income patients or those requiring ongoing treatment. This highlights the need for a more comprehensive approach to integrating eye care financing into the broader healthcare system.
- Eye care information: A critical need exists for improved data collection on eye care. Limited reporting from the national HIS hinders our ability to assess service utilization, outcomes, and quality.
The findings highlight both the strides made and the challenges that remain in ensuring accessible, high-quality vision care for all Nepalis. These insights will serve as a foundation for evidence-based interventions at both policy and programmatic levels, furthering Nepal’s goal of achieving Integrated People-Centered Eye Care (IPEC) for all its citizens.
