Despite government hospitals in Cambodia expanding and improving their ophthalmology units in terms of equipment, training and service quality, almost all facilities remain grossly under-utilized. The reasons for low utilization include low literacy particularly among women, little disposable income available for healthcare, difficult travel, and profound distrust and fear of government programs. Women face additional barriers due to their low socio-economic status in the family and they are often unaware of eye care services that are available free of cost.
In the fall of 2018, Seva Cambodia hired Sophon to provide Eye Health Awareness Sessions (EHAS ) to influential people in the communities such as village leaders, school principals and teachers, and religious leaders, about the causes of blindness, prevention, treatment and services available at the nearest eye care facility.Strategies were developed to overcome the main barriers: fear of cost, fear of surgery, use of traditional medicine, and lack of a caretaker.
The EHAS program has proven remarkably successful in all four provinces supported by Seva Cambodia, more than doubling the number of people, (60% women), visiting screening camps and going on to have cataract surgery!
The EHAS program has proven remarkably successful in all four provinces supported by Seva Cambodia, more than doubling the number of people, (60% women), visiting screening camps and going on to have cataract surgery!
Eye Health Awareness Session at Thmar Kol, Battambang, Cambodia
