Hope for children as Tororo gets specialised eye facility

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Africa bears a disproportionate burden of global blindness, with one in six blind people and 26 million visually impaired individuals residing on the continent. For Uganda, cataracts and uncorrected refractive errors are the leading cause of blindness. 

This is largely attributed to underinvestment in eye care, a reality painfully felt in eastern Uganda where countless children have lost their sight, and in some cases their lives, due to the absence of specialised paediatric care.

Therefore, tackling eye health challenges among children is key. However, there has been a challenge of tackling the problem among children due to the lack of a specialised facility in eastern Uganda.

Now, with a grant of sh4.8b (approximately $1.3m), from the Lions Club of Germany through Christian Blind Mission International, Benedictine Eye Hospital in Tororo municipality has constructed a paediatric ophthalmology facility.  

It is hoped that the facility will go a long way in ending preventable blindness among children, which was not possible before.   

"We lacked a dedicated child-friendly environment," Dr Proscovia Arach, the regional ophthalmologist attached to Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, said.

"Children were admitted alongside adults in general wards, which is not conducive to delivering comprehensive healthcare services to such vulnerable individuals."

Dr Alex Wasomoka the Asst Commissioner in Charge Hospitals and Lower health facilities in community the facility. (Credit: George Ofwono)

The new facility, commissioned by Dr Alex Wasomoka, assistant commissioner in charge of hospitals and lower health facilities on behalf of health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, is hoped to change the status quo. 

"We’re hoping today we’re opening the doors to a brighter future for the children who will benefit from the specialised services this unit offers," Wasomoka said on February 26, 2025. 

"Eye health is critical in early development, and early intervention can make all the difference. Paediatric vision care ensures children thrive academically and socially, supporting their overall development and future opportunities. This unit will be a centre of excellence, equipped with the latest medical technologies and staffed by highly skilled professionals."

The facility is expected to provide a comprehensive range of services, including vision screening, diagnosis, treatment of eye diseases and advanced surgical procedures with it's impact expected to extend far beyond the region of establishment. 

"Besides Mbale Hospital, Benedictine Eye Hospital Tororo receives referrals from other referral hospitals, including Jinja, Soroti, Moroto, Lira, Gulu and Arua because most of the upcountry population fears going to the capital city (Kampala) for eye care services," Arach said. 

Relief 

President of the Lions Club of Tororo Amb. Phibby Awere Otaala said: "It was tough for a common man from this region to access quick eye care services for their children with related eye problems, leaving many abandoned at home without treatment due to inaccessibility and cost". 

Pastoral Coordinator in the Archdiocese of Tororo Fr Michael Kibiye, representing the archbishop at the commissioning, expressed gratitude for the new facility.  

"Many children within the boundaries of Tororo Archdiocese have lost their sight due to the lack of a proper specialised paediatric unit in the region. We appreciate the partners who have worked to establish one in the east," he said.