Cameroon has a population of 18 million people. It is split into 10 provinces, 2 English speaking and 8 French although it is official a bilingual country. The country is made up of over 200 tribes.

Cameroon has a national plan for blindness. There are 51 ophthalmologists of whom the majority are based in Yaounde and Douala. All of these were trained outside the country.

Right to Sight currently has five projects in Cameroon

1. National Ophthalmic Teaching Programme

Current Status

• The Government of Cameroon has initiated an ophthalmic training course and RTS has been asked to assist with the effort.
• RTS is joining the Human Resources capacity building initiative by the Government.
• RTS initiated its involvement in early 2008 and was followed by a Vision Building and Residency Strengthening Workshop in India in August 2008.

RTS Objectives

• To improve the quality of the ophthalmic training programme.
• To increase the number of surgeons working in country who are capable of performing high quality surgeries.
• To increase the subspecialty expertise at the referral hospitals in Yaoundé and Douala.

2. Presbyterian Health Services Eye Clinic, ACHA, Bafoussam

Current Status

• The ACHA Bafoussam Eye Clinic does around 2,300 cataract operations per year.
• A team from ACHA attended a Vision Building and Strategic Planning Workshop in India - May 2008
• RTS is working to develop their capacity to perform high volume, high quality, sustainable eye care services.

RTS Objectives

• To increase cataract surgeries to 5,500 and out patient capacity to 60,000 by April 2009.
• To create a long term sustainable programme of eye care in the Western Province.
• To enrich the quality of the Resident Ophthalmologists posted at ACHA by exposing them to outreach services and sub-specialties.
• RTS will also facilitate to make the unit a training centre.

Current Status

• The Baptist Hospital has an eye unit which does around 1,000 cataract operations per year.
• RTS will work to develop their capacity to perform high-volume, high quality, sustainable eye care services.
• A team from Mbingo Hospital attended a Vision Building and Strategic Planning Workshop in India - May 2008.

RTS Objectives

• To increase cataract surgeries to 3,750 and out-patient capacity to 54,000 per year by May 2009.
• To strengthen the hospital’s systems and processes.
• To create a long term sustainable programme of eye care in the North West Province.

4. RECEWAPEC “The Regional Centre for the Welfare of Ageing Persons in Cameroon”

Current Status

• The NGO RECEWAPEC caters for the social welfare of the elderly through sensitisation to social protection, human rights and healthcare, promotion of cultural activities and involvement in income generating projects.
• The NGO has identified many eye diseases amongst the elderly in the community that it serves.
• RTS is working with RECEWAPEC to increase the number of those elderly who can have access to eye care.

RTS Objectives

• To develop outreach camps in the North West province where elderly patients will have access to quality screening.
• To develop an optical dispensing unit to provide affordable spectacles to the patients screened.
• To increase the sensitisation of the elderly to eye care and facilitate referral to the eye care providers in the province.

5. Ophthalmic Equipments Repair and Maintenance Training Programme

Current Status

• About 50 % of all ophthalmic equipments are in a non functional state in most of the eye care units in Cameroon.
• Absence of regular preventive maintenance and lack of knowledge in repair and maintenance among the technicians.
• Application of innovative strategies in adapting existing and low cost alternatives are not being attempted.

RTS Objectives

• To build in-country knowledge and skills in ophthalmic equipment repair and maintenance.
• To train the existing technicians, biomedical engineers and users on preventive maintenance and repair
• To train the existing technicians, biomedical engineers and users on preventive maintenance and repair
• To ultimately achieve zero breakdown time.