Subspecialist eye care services in Nigeria: Current status and challenges

Abstract

Objective: To determine the current status and challenges of subspecialty eye care service delivery in Nigeria
Study Design: Cross sectional descriptive study
Setting: Ophthalmological society of Nigeria (OSN) conference
Subjects or participants: Nigerian Ophthalmologists participating in the annual OSN conference.
Interventions: Data of current status of eye care services and challenges of subspecialty practice were collected using a pretested self-administered questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to determine associations at a P-value of 0.05
Results: There were a total of 136 respondents; 60 males and 76 females. Highest age range of respondents was 41-50years. About 44.1% had undergone some form of subspecialty training. The commonest area of specialization was Glaucoma (13.2%) while the least area was Neuro-ophthalmology (1.5%). There were more subspecialists in the western region of the country. The major constraint for undergoing subspecialty fellowship was lack of funds. The major barrier to setting up subspecialty practice on completion of training was Lack of equipment for subspecialty practice. Majority of the present subspecialists got international sponsorship for their subspecialty training while those without subspecialty training cited cost as a major impediment to training.
Conclusion: Subspecialty training and implementation is still developing in Nigeria. A major intervention has been put in place by CEHC, ICO and Fred Hollows foundation training some number of ophthalmologists. Subspecialty training should indeed be a continuum. Establishment of Regional subspecialist center’s for training in different subspecialties and developing public- private partnerships for equipment provision with partnering hospitals and Federal government might help address these challenges