Burundi
Patients waiting to be examined at King Khaled hospital, Bujumbura, Burundi.
The government of Burundi in East Africa is determined to work with The Foundation to implement a much-needed eye care strategy for this densely populated nation.
Overview
Burundi, officially known as the Republic of Burundi, is one of the poorest countries in the world and among the smallest in Africa. It has a population density of 315 people per square kilometre, the second highest population density in sub-Saharan Africa.
Burundi is in urgent need of eye care because government services are limited and there are only ten ophthalmologists in the country (and only two of them perform eye surgery). Eight of the ten ophthalmologists are based in the capital city of Bujumbura, and mainly provide optical services.
In 2009, The Fred Hollows Foundation began work in Burundi by conducting a successful pilot surgical campaign in the Ngozi District, restoring sight to 183 cataract patients. We have since determined the overall eye health needs of the district and will commence our long term program in 2012.
The Vice President of Burundi, Dr Yves Sahinguvu, has acknowledged The Foundation’s dedication to supporting the people of Burundi and improving eye care services.
Achievements: 2011
Through our program work, The Foundation:
- Trained two nurses
- Developed a plan with the Burundi government and local partners to eliminate a backlog of 1,771 cases of avoidable blindness in the country’s Northern Province, and supported our partners to provide long-term eye health services to the region
- Conducted a community-wide campaign to raise public awareness about general eye health and available eye health services.
Facts and figures
| Number of blind people | approx 87,000 |
| Main causes of blindness | cataract (50%), uncorrected refractive error (10%), and childhood blindness (5%) |
| Number of people with cataract blindness | 48,000 (backlog) and an annual incidence of 9,600 cases |
| Number of cataract operations performed annually | 125 operations per million people |
| Number of ophthalmologists | 10 known (of which only 2 perform surgery) |
| Population | 8.6 million |
| Urban population | 11% |
| Life expectancy | 50.4 years |
| Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 births) | 88 |
| Literacy rate | 67% |
| Population living on $1.25 a day | 81% |
| Children (0-5 years) underweight for age | 29% |
| Number of doctors (per 10,000 people) | less than 0.5 |
Sources: UNDP Human Development Report 2010 & 2011, UNICEF State of the World's Children Report 2012
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