Coordinated approach to community health programme equity measurement tools and disability disaggregation in rural Malawi

• To evaluate the relative and absolute wealth status of programme beneficiaries
• To analyse the trends in coordinated approach to community health (CATCH) programme services and access among people with disabilities

Due to the lack of evidence of inequality in eye care, there is a need for a more nuanced understanding of the trends in equality within countries. Subgroups of the population facing the most difficulty in accessing services are typically poor/marginalised people living in rural areas, women and girls, and those from ethnic minorities.

Disability, including blindness, is often linked with poverty, but very few comparative rigorous quantitative research studies have been undertaken. This study is an assessment of the wealth status of the CATCH programme beneficiaries, generating evidence and exploring the trends in the social gradient and access to eye health services by people living with disabilities.