Abstract
Purpose: To assess the extent to which Vision 2020 eye care service delivery targets had been met in
Burundi by 2015.
Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study targeting District, Regional, and National Hospitals
in Burundi. A questionnaire was used to collect data on number and distribution of different cadres of eye
personnel. The recommendations of Vision 2020 were used to benchmark human resources as meeting,
exceeding or not meeting targets. A separate questionnaire was used to capture the number of cataract
surgeries conducted in the country.
Results: In 2015, Burundi had 15 ophthalmologists (37.5% of the target), 33 ophthalmic clinical officers
(66.0% of the target) and 2 optometrists (5% of the target). The mean deficit for all cadres was 72.8%.
Eighty-percent of the ophthalmologists were based in Bujumbura. Four out of the 7 regions had no
ophthalmologist. Sixty-eight percent of eye care facilities belonged to the private sector. Seventy-five
percent of the facilities were in urban areas. The cataract surgical rate for the entire country was 138
surgeries per million populations per year.
Conclusions: Burundi had not met the targets for human resources by 2015. Cataract surgery was very
low. Most of the eye care personnel and services were concentrated in the capital Bujumbura.
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