ISLAMABAD - In order to provide refractive and optical services to the people, especially those in rural areas, an initiative called Improving National Systems in Pakistan for Integrated Action on Refractive Error (INSPIRE) has been launched in Punjab. 
The initiative has been launched by Sightsavers in collaboration with National Programme for Prevention and Control of Blindness and its provincial chapter, ie College of Ophthalmology and Allied and Vision Sciences (COAVS), Mayo Hospital Lahore.
The launching ceremony was held in Multan on Thursday in which Qamar-uz-Zaman Qasarani, Additional Secretary Primary & Secondary Health Department, South Punjab was the chief guest, while Munazza Gillani, Country Director Sightsavers Pakistan, Dr Arif Hussain, Programme Director COAVS, Prof Dr Rashid Qamar Rao, Head of Eye Department NMC – Multan, Dr Farooq Ahmed, DHO Medical Services, Dr Zafar Iqbal, Director Programme DG Health Office, attended the event. 
District Sheikhupura and Multan from Punjab province are the target areas of the said project.
In his remarks, Qamar-uz-Zaman Qasarani said that INSPIRE project is addressing one of the most pressing challenges of unavailability of quality optician services.  
He said the project is materialising the government’s vision of making health facilities available for everyone at grass roots level. 
“The five-year INSPIRE project will reach over a million people with eye health screening services at primary health care level while providing  around 200,000 people with refractive and optical services,” disclosed Munazza Gillani.
She said that the project will also make a significant contribution to the effective scaling up of screening, refractive services and eyeglasses provision and will promote the integration of these approaches into government-led national programmes.