Background
Cataract is the leading cause of blindness globally, with an estimated 94 million people aged 50 years and over having moderate-to-severe distance vision impairment or blindness that could be corrected through access to cataract surgery. These figures are projected to increase since cataract development is part of the ageing process.
Cataract significantly impacts an individual’s well-being, reducing the overall quality of life. It also impairs daily functioning, cognitive development, mental health, and social life. Removing cataract reduces the risk of cognitive loss that is associated with dementia in older adults.
The burden of cataract-related vision impairment and blindness is estimated to be four times higher in low and intermediate-resource settings than in high-income settings.
In recognition of the large unmet need for care, coupled with the fact a highly cost–effective intervention exists (i.e. cataract surgery), WHO Member States endorsed a global target for cataract surgery at the Seventy-fourth World Health Assembly (2021). Specifically, the global target is a 30-percentage point increase in effective cataract surgery coverage (eCSC) by 2030.
Dedicated tertiary level hospitals are the key provider for cataract surgical services globally. These hospitals commonly support networks of satellite facilities that provide eye care at the second and primary levels of care. Further, they commonly facilitate outreach programmes to service underserved communities.
Recent research shows that, by changing practice such as providing spectacles post-surgery, improving screening approaches and improving patient communication to increase compliance, high-volume eye hospitals can significantly improve quality and coverage of cataract services. As a result, WHO will establish regional networks of tertiary level eye hospitals to strengthen provider capacity to deliver efficient and effective cataract services through collaboration, including on:
- developing standardized best practice protocols including for diagnosis and treatment advice, patient compliance, and cataract surgery follow-up with provision of spectacles;
- trainings for service providers and hospital managers, utilizing available WHO technical products; and
- facility-based and population-based research and monitoring and evaluation.
To support this work, the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, Rehabilitation and Disability (NCD) is looking for a service provider to advise and support the WHO Secretariat in the establishment of the regional eye hospital networks in WPRO, SEARO, and EMRO, including the development of technical products such as guidance and training materials.
WHO is seeking an organization/provider that can develop the following activities:
- support WHO in the development of terms of reference (TORs) and background materials for regional hospital networks, and
- develop best-practice protocols and related training materials utilizing WHO technical products.
Required components of proposal
The proposal submitted should include:
- statement of interest,
- cost proposal,
- detailed experience and examples of previous relevant, similar work undertaken (or portfolio), and
- detailed timeline for the proposed project.
Submission of proposals
Your company is invited to submit a proposal to the email vision@who.int by 22 July at 23:59 CEST.