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Article History

Received: 19 October 2025

Accepted: 18 February 2026

First Online: 23 February 2026

Declarations

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: This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association, 2013). Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethiopian Public Health Association’s Institutional Review Board (Ref. No. EPHA/OG/259/25, dated April 17, 2025) and Euclid University. Informed consent was obtained from all participants, and the English version of the consent form used for both interviewer- and self-administered surveys is provided as a supplementary file. The survey tool used in this study was the Health Organisation’s health systems framework, national health policy documents, and previous ophthalmic human resource assessment models. Respondents were informed that participation was voluntary and that they could withdraw at any time without penalty or consequence. All survey data were anonymised at the point of entry, and personal identifiers were replaced with coded IDs. Electronic files were stored on password-protected computers with restricted access to the research team, and backup copies were encrypted and retained on secure institutional servers. No individual names or contact details were included in analysis files. Anonymised datasets will be retained for five years following study completion and then permanently deleted. These procedures ensured full compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and institutional guidelines regarding confidentiality, data protection, and responsible data retention.

: Not applicable. The study did not include identifiable individual data, images, or personal information requiring consent for publication.

: The authors declare no competing interests.