Uptake Pattern of Training Programs over Two Decades at an International Ophthalmic Training Institute in India

Recognizing the urgent need to improve eye care services to address the increasing eye care burden globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) together launched a global initiative “VISION 2020: The Right to Sight” in 1999 with the goal to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020. This initiative identified disease control, human resource development and infrastructure development as the three pillars to achieve the desired outcomes. The global action plan of WHO (2014 – 2019) also has emphasized the need of trained workforce in all the WHO regions for ensuring comprehensive eye care services. The overall shortage of workforce warrants a robust strategy to ensure sustainable training programmes for all cadres of eye care professionals. Recognizing this, Aravind Eye Care System (AECS) in India has developed an extensive set of training programmes over the past 40 years, for supplementary skills development for all members of the eye care team. The aim of this study was to evaluate the uptake pattern of long term and short-term structured certificate training programs offered at AECS during the last two decades (2000 – 2019).鉴于全球眼保健负担日益加重，亟需优化眼保健服务以应对这一现状，世界卫生组织（World Health Organization, WHO）与国际防盲机构（International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, IAPB）于1999年联合发起全球倡议“视觉2020：享有看见的权利（VISION 2020: The Right to Sight）”，目标为在2020年之前消除可避免盲。该倡议明确将疾病防控、人力资源开发与基础设施建设作为达成预期目标的三大支柱。世界卫生组织2014-2019年全球行动计划亦强调，需在世界卫生组织所有区域培养合格从业人员，以保障全面眼保健服务的供给。当前整体从业人员短缺的现状亟需强有力的策略，以确保眼保健各层级专业人员均可参与可持续培训项目。有鉴于此，印度的Aravind眼保健体系（Aravind Eye Care System, AECS）在过去40年间开发了一套完善的培训体系，用于眼保健团队全体成员的补充技能提升。本研究旨在评估2000年至2019年这二十年间，AECS推出的长期与短期结构化证书培训项目的参与模式与现状。