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South Africa's cataract surgery rates – why are we not meeting our targets?
Karin Lecuona, Colin Cook
Abstract
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in South Africa, responsible for about 50% of the prevalence of blindness1 and identified as a national health priority. The cataract surgery rate (CSR) should be at least 2 000 per million population per year for elimination of cataract blindness. The national CSR target was planned to increase from 1 000 in 2005 to 2 000 in 2010, but since CSRs have failed to reach targets each year, the national target for 2010 was reduced from 2 000 to 1 500. We reviewed data from a situational analysis in 2007 of cataract surgery services to ascertain the obstacles to achieving CSR targets.
Authors' affiliations
Karin Lecuona, Division Ophthalmology, Groote Schuur Hospital and University of Cape Town
Colin Cook,
Keywords
Cataract Surgery Rate; Resources; Barriers; Urbanisation; Vision 2020
Cite this article
South African Medical Journal 2011;101(8):510-512.
Article History
Date submitted: 2010-11-03
Date published: 2011-07-25
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