Southern Ethiopia’s eye health workforce falls below recommended targets
A descriptive cross-sectional study by Mehari et al. assessed the availability and distribution of eye health professionals and the services provided across 48 eye care facilities (39 public, 5 private and 4 NGO/mission) in Southern Ethiopia. The study covered the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region and Sidama Region, using data collected between September 2022 and April 2023.
Key Findings:
- Among all public health facilities in the two regions (77 public hospitals and 642 public health centres), only 5.4% (39 facilities) provided eye care services.
- The 48 eye care facilities employed 217 professionals: 30 ophthalmologists, 10 cataract surgeons, 93 optometrists, 62 ophthalmic nurses, six ophthalmic officers, 15 optical technicians and one low-vision specialist.
- The ophthalmologist-to-population ratio was 1:625,292, meeting only 40% of the recommended target of 1:250,000. The regions had shortfalls of 45 ophthalmologists, 65 cataract surgeons, and 106 allied ophthalmic professionals.
- However, the optometrist-to-population ratio is in line with the IAPB Africa Strategic Plan, with a ratio of 1:201,707; the optometrist-to-population ratio exceeds the IAPB Africa strategic plan of 1:250,000.
- Eye health professionals were concentrated in urban centres and regional capitals. Hawassa had 71 professionals, while some remote and rural districts had only one professional or none.
- In 2022, 20,636 cataract operations were performed—50.6% at health facilities and 49.4% through outreach—giving a cataract surgical rate of 1,086 per million population; half the facilities offered cataract surgery, while 90% provided refraction services.
Reference: Mehari Z, Nariani A. Assessment of human resource for eye health services in Southern Ethiopia Human Resources for Health (2025) 23:52 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-025-01007-1
