The Ministry of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs today marked the soft opening of a Primary Eye Care Unit at the Gray’s Green Community Centre, an important step towards expanding access to community-based eye-care services in Antigua and Barbuda.
The establishment of the unit represents progress in strengthening access to professional eye care through the country’s primary healthcare system, bringing essential services closer to communities.
While the unit has been introduced through the soft opening, it is not yet ready to receive members of the general public. The Ministry is currently working through the necessary operational arrangements, including the installation of additional equipment and other logistical requirements, to ensure that the facility is adequately prepared to deliver the intended services. The unit is expected to become operational by January 2027.
Minister of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs, the Honourable Michael Joseph, highlighted the importance of the units in improving access to professional eye care and supporting the prevention and early detection of visual impairments.
“These centres will help us prevent avoidable vision loss and detect visual impairments earlier by expanding access to screening, assessing vision needs and delivering professional eye care within our communities,” Minister Joseph stated.
The Gray’s Green facility represents the first Primary Eye Care Unit established in Antigua and Barbuda, with plans for the expansion of similar units throughout the country to improve access to essential eye-care services.
Looking ahead, Minister Joseph indicated that the Government’s vision extends beyond the establishment of community-based units, with the intention of developing a dedicated eye hospital in Antigua and Barbuda within the next five years.
The occasion also provided an opportunity to celebrate the return of four Antiguan and Barbudan nurses who completed specialised eye-care training in India. Their training forms an essential component of the programme, building the local capacity needed to support the establishment and delivery of these services.
Permanent Secretary Mrs. Stacey Gregg described the occasion as an important advancement in healthcare accessibility while Ambassador Aubrey Webson, who was also in attendance, said the programme represents practical steps towards zero cases of preventable blindness and the goal of making Antigua and Barbuda a blindness-free zone. Ambassador Webson, who is himself visually impaired, was recognised for proposing the programme and for his contribution to advancing the initiative.
Chief Executive Officer of the Cure Blindness Project, Ms. K-T Overbey, expressed the organisation’s pleasure in supporting the delivery of the programme.
The initiative is being advanced through collaboration between the Ministry and international partners, with support from the Cure Blindness Project, RestoringVision, VisionSpring and the Lavelle Fund for the Blind.
The units are intended to strengthen screening, assessment, referral and follow-up care, enabling earlier identification of vision problems and improved access to appropriate services.
Through the Prime Ministerial Vision Initiative, Antigua and Barbuda also secured 25,000 reading glasses from RestoringVision to address presbyopia, the age-related loss of near vision. The provision of reading glasses complements the wider programme to strengthen eye-care services and reduce preventable vision impairment.
The Ministry of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs remains committed to working with its partners to expand access to eye care, strengthen local expertise and advance the national goal of eliminating preventable blindness.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Primary Eye Care Unit Softly Opens at Gray's Green Community Centre as Health Minister Outlines Vision for Dedicated Eye Hospital.