• Health promotion

Health promotion

In Egypt women are not using eye care services as frequently as men, especially in rural areas. Therefore women in Egypt are more likely than men to suffer from low vision or blindness from avoidable causes. This article in Community Eye Health Journal considers how women can be reached within the community and their level of access to eye health services improved. The authors highlight how in Egypt in general there are a large number of eye care providers, even in rural and suburban areas, but a very low uptake of eye care services. The article details an intervention which used women to reach women in the community and strengthening the local eye care system.

The document shows how the team established a good relationship, through various meetings and presentations, with local policy makers, local health authorities, community leaders, local non-government organisations, and local health and eye care providers. Women were trained and used to reach out and provide information to other women within communities and encouraged to use eye services. The authors show how this intervention demonstrates that people should be supported in seeking services, for example by helping them with transport. Health systems should also be strengthened to absorb the increased demand for services; otherwise, communities may get more frustrated and mistrust eye care providers. The authors believe their project was successful because it combined health education, capacity building of local providers, and breaking down of barriers in a single, integrated programme.

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