Over 175,000 eye tests completed under national programme

Hundreds of thousands of Guyanese are now accessing free eye care through the government’s Eye Testing and Spectacles Subsidy Programme that is expanding testing and corrective lens support across the country.

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Friday evening disclosed that since the initiative’s launch in 2024, 175,272 vouchers have been used for eye examinations, while 160,282 persons have received assistance for spectacles.

Before the programme, many people put off routine eye checks due to cost, inconvenience, or limited access, often allowing manageable conditions to worsen over time. The initiative addresses that gap by pairing free testing with financial support for glasses.

“Under this programme, citizens receive a voucher for eye testing along with a $15,000 voucher for spectacles,” the president explained.

A key feature of the programme is its delivery model, which draws on both public and private providers to expand reach without duplicating infrastructure.

“This helps us to utilise existing and spare capacity within the private sector, and that is efficient. We build [no] entirely new state-run systems where capable private facilities already exist.”

He described the arrangement as “public financed, privately delivered” model, in which government underwrites affordability while private specialists handle service delivery.

President Ali added that the same approach holds promise across other areas of healthcare, including diagnostics, imaging, dialysis, rehabilitation, and specialists’ consultations.

“That is practical policymaking. That is public-private partnership in action,” he declared.

The effort also extends into classrooms, where testing is being rolled out among students to catch vision problems early.

The goal is to ensure children are screened multiple times during their school years. This will reduce the risk of undetected vision issues affecting learning outcomes, with the president emphasising, “this is how preventative healthcare strengthens a nation.”

For 2026, the government expanded the programme to be available to all Guyanese citizens, effective March 2, 2026