CS Duale Officially Opens Global Eye Health Conference in Nairobi
Nairobi, Kenya - - Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale officially opened the 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE Conference in Nairobi and reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to eliminating avoidable blindness, expanding access to quality eye care services, and strengthening eye health as a key pillar of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Hon. Duale said avoidable blindness remains a significant public health, development, and equity challenge that continues to affect education, productivity, livelihoods, and quality of life. He noted that more than 2.2 billion people globally live with blindness or visual impairment, with at least one billion cases being preventable or treatable.
The three-day conference has brought together global leaders, policymakers, development partners, researchers, innovators, civil society organisations, and eye health experts to accelerate progress towards universal access to eye health by 2030.
The Cabinet Secretary said Kenya has prioritised eye health as a key component of Universal Health Coverage and Primary Health Care, recognising that vision is central to learning, economic participation, dignity, and overall human development.
Hon. Duale highlighted ongoing investments in interoperable digital health systems aimed at strengthening service delivery, improving continuity of care, and supporting evidence-based decision-making. He noted that eye health services are being integrated into national digital platforms to support screening, referrals, patient tracking, and reporting across the health system.
The CS further stated that the Social Health Authority (SHA), which has registered more than 30 million Kenyans, is expanding financial protection by covering preventive, diagnostic, medical, and surgical eye care services, including treatment for cataracts and refractive errors.
He also underscored the role of the Facility Improvement Financing (FIF) framework in strengthening service delivery by enabling health facilities to retain and reinvest locally generated resources into infrastructure improvement, equipment maintenance, and quality healthcare services.
While noting that eye care services are now available in all 47 counties, Hon. Duale acknowledged that disparities persist in arid, semi-arid, and other underserved regions. He said the Government is pursuing targeted investments, innovative service delivery models, outreach programmes, and digital health solutions to ensure equitable access to services.
The Cabinet Secretary further emphasised the need to strengthen the eye health workforce through recruitment, deployment, retention, and continuous professional development to support delivery of quality eye care services at all levels of the health system.
Hon. Duale called on governments, development partners, professional associations, academia, and the private sector to strengthen collaboration and accelerate action towards eliminating avoidable blindness, noting that eye health remains a critical component of Kenya’s health sector transformation agenda.