Antiguans To Be Trained in Refraction Techniques

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Health News

Saturday, 22 October 2011 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St John's - The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has partnered with the Caribbean Council of the Blind – Eye Care Caribbean, to train four Antiguan & Barbudan students in refraction techniques at the University of Guyana.

The students - Denise Philip, Derk Agard, Raenor Sharpe, and Ronel Richards - are being trained as part of CCB-Eye Care Caribbean’s Vision 2020, which is a campaign for the right for sight involving a number of international eye care agencies and led by the World Health Organisation and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. It aims at reducing the main causes of avoidable blindness by the year 2020.

The scholarships, managed by the Prime Minister Scholarship Committee, will see the students being trained for one year at the University of Guyana. 

Following their training, the students will return home, where they will be employed by the government to work in three health centres in Antigua, and one in Barbuda.

Arvel Grant, CEO of the Caribbean Council for the Blind, said, “CCB – Eye Care Caribbean is pleased to be associated with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, in the granting of scholarships to the first four persons to be trained as refraction technicians.

The successful candidates will start the process of placing eye health services in the health centres across the twin island state. We anticipate that they will return to Antigua & Barbuda and begin working in the designated health centres by August of 2012. Subject to the availability of finances, we hope to offer the government a further four scholarships over the next two years."

Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer said these scholarships are vital to the delivery of health care services to the people of Antigua & Barbuda. “One of the main reasons why blindness in the Caribbean is prevalent, (four percent of the region’s population) is the shortage of trained professionals, including optometrists and refractionists. This programme with CCB – Eye Care Caribbean will address this issue in Antigua and Barbuda,” said Prime Minister Spencer.

Health Minister Wilmoth Daniel said during the students’ training, the government will provide access to CCB Eye Care Caribbean to four health centres to renovate and install furnishing and equipment required for the operation of an eye clinic capable of screening and referring patients with eye diseases; for performing basic refractions and dispensing spectacles and low vision appliances to patients of the public health services.

“The government is fully committed to this programme and will make available all of the necessary resources to CCB Eye Care and the trained technicians, including nursing and other health centre personnel whom we expect will also be trained in primary eye care techniques by CCB-Eye Care Caribbean,” said Minister Daniel.

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The Government of Antigua and Barbuda also pledged to facilitate CCB-Eye Care Caribbean’s initiative to implement Vision 2020 – the Right to Sight – in Antigua and Barbuda, consistent with the various resolutions of the World Health Assembly.

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