Dhaka: Bangladesh officially launched the World Health Organization's (WHO) SPECS 2030 Initiative on Tuesday, marking a significant step towards expanding access to quality, affordable, and people-centred eye care services across the nation. State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr. MA Muhit inaugurated the initiative during a ceremony at a city hotel.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Dr. Muhit highlighted the government's plan to establish dedicated outpatient, inpatient, and operating theatre facilities for eye care at the 151-bed hospitals being constructed at the upazila level. He further mentioned that the government is finalising an integrated National Eye Care Plan, which will target around 1 million cataract surgeries, distribute several crore pairs of spectacles, and expand treatment for diabetic retinopathy.
Dr. Muhit expressed the commitment to bringing modern eye-care services to grassroots levels, ensuring nearly 500 upazilas eventually gain access to advanced eye-care facilities, thereby reducing the need for travel to district towns or Dhaka for treatment. Additionally, primary eye care will be integrated into the training of approximately 100,000 health workers currently undergoing recruitment. The government also aims to reinforce cataract surgery and refraction services in at least half of the country's districts by leveraging existing district hospital infrastructure.
Over the past six months, the government has collaborated with international and local organizations to enhance and broaden eye-care services. The WHO SPECS 2030 Initiative, globally introduced in May 2024, aims to improve access to refractive error services worldwide. It supports countries in achieving the first global target for refractive error endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 2021, aiming for a 40-percentage-point increase in effective refractive error coverage (eREC) by 2030.
Orbis International Bangladesh played a crucial role in coordinating efforts among the government, WHO, and other eye-health stakeholders, facilitating the national launch of the initiative. During the launch event, WHO and government representatives emphasized the need for an integrated approach involving primary healthcare, trained personnel, referral systems, affordable spectacles, reliable data, and stronger collaboration among government entities, WHO, NGOs, professional bodies, development partners, and the private sector.
Dr. Tashi Tobgay, Regional Adviser and Unit Head for NCD, Mental Health and Disabilities at WHO South-East Asia Region, provided a presentation on the global, regional, and country perspectives of the SPECS 2030 Initiative. Additional addresses were given by Prof Dr. ASMM Quadir, Director (In charge) of the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital (NIO and H), and Dr. Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed, WHO Representative to Bangladesh.
Following the launch, a panel discussion titled 'Strengthening Eye Care Services with Specific Focus on Refractive Error and WHO SPECS 2030 Implementation in Bangladesh' was conducted by Dr. Munir Ahmed, Country Director of Orbis International Bangladesh. Panellists, including Max Tunon, ILO Country Director for Bangladesh; Rajesh Narwal, WHO Deputy Representative to Bangladesh; Indra Prasad Sharma, Regional Officer for South-East Asia, IAPB; and Johurul Islam Jewel, Senior Programme Manager at CSF Global, underscored the importance of workplace eye health, evidence-based policymaking, enhanced workforce capacity, affordable spectacle provision, and coordinated action across sectors.
The SPECS 2030 framework, built around five strategic pillars, aims to unite governments, professional associations, NGOs, academic institutions, and the private sector to expand access to refractive error services. The initiative's launch is expected to provide a national framework for coordinating these efforts and developing an implementation roadmap towards achieving the 2030 global target.