WHO pushes vision rehabilitation into national health systems

WHO holds an online briefing today on its Planning Guide for Integrated Vision Rehabilitation. About 60 million adults worldwide need vision rehabilitation to maintain independence and workforce participation, yet most, especially in low- and middle-income countries, lack access. Responding to the global mandate for integrated people-centred eye care, the guide offers a three-step roadmap for placing rehabilitation inside national eye-care systems and universal health coverage rather than leaving it as isolated projects. The session includes a real-world implementation case from Morocco. What is confirmed today is the guide, the scale of need and a policy tool, not closure of the service gap. Shortages of trained staff, weak infrastructure, financing constraints and poor policy integration remain the main barriers.