Guest editorial: A call for health advocacy to be included as an outcome competency into optometric education programmes

Abstract

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Guest editorial: A call for health advocacy to be included as an outcome competency into optometric education programmes
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly recently adopted the first ever Resolution on Vision titled ‘Vision for Everyone’. This ground-breaking resolution commits the international community to addressing the eye health needs of an estimated 1.1 billion people, who are living with preventable vision loss globally, by 2030.1 The agreement is significant as it is designed to tackle preventable vision loss by enshrining eye health as part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The World Health Organization (WHO) envisages that IPCEC can help address significant eye care challenges that countries face, because it adopts a strategic healthsystems perspective, including: (1) engaging and empowering people and communities; (2) reorienting the model of care based on a strong primary care foundation; (3) coordinating services within and across sectors; and (4) creating an enabling environment, the inclusion of eye care in national health strategic plans, the integration of relevant eye care relevant data within health information systems, and planning for the eye care workforce according to a country’s population needs.[10]