Accreditation
ACCREDITATION AS A TRAINING INSTITUTION FOR COECSA RESIDENCY AND SUPERSPECIALTY FELLOWSHIP TRAINING PROGRAMMES
The College of Ophthalmology of Eastern Central and Southern Africa (COECSA) is a specialized virtual College founded in 2012 after a successful voluntary merger between the Eastern Africa College of Ophthalmologists (EACO) and Ophthalmological Society of Eastern Africa (OSEA). The primary geographic focus for the College is the ECSA region, currently comprising 12 countries. These include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Malawi. Others are Ethiopia, Zambia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Mozambique.
COECSA aims to address the chronic shortage of ophthalmologists in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA), as well as improve the quality of eye care services in the region. Education and Training is a key part of COECSA’s mandate which includes supporting the development of human resources for health through quality training in ophthalmology at the residency and superspecialty levels; facilitating continuing professional development; and, creating a forum for ophthalmic practitioners to promote the profession and exchange skills and knowledge.
As a virtual college, COECSA works closely with accredited training institutions in the region to deliver accredited Residency and Superspecialty ophthalmology training. Currently, the College has six (6) training programmes on offer, with comprehensive Curricula, including assessment and other supporting training tools. Below are the available training programmes:
| # | Description | Course Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | COECSA Residency Training Programme | 4 Years (Minimum) |
| 2 | Glaucoma Superspecialty Fellowship Programme | 12 Months (Minimum) |
| 3 | Vitreo-Retina Superspecialty Fellowship Programme | 18 Months (Minimum) |
| 4 | Pediatric and Strabismus Superspecialty Fellowship Programme | 12 Months (Minimum) |
| 5 | Cornea & Anterior Segment Superspecialty Fellowship Programme | 12 Months (Minimum) |
| 6 | Ophthalmic Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery (OPRS) Superspecialty Fellowship Programme | 18 Months (Minimum) |
We therefore invite registered institutions/centres wishing to be accredited and partner with COECSA in the implementation of one (1) or more of the above training programmes, to submit a formal letter of expression of interest, and request for Accreditation Application Packs for the programme/s of interest not later than 30th May, 2025.
The formal expression of interest must be addressed and submitted by email to;
The Chief Executive Officer,
College of Ophthalmology of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa,
P.O. Box 4539-00506,
Regent Court, Block A Suite A7,
Argwings Kodhek Road, Hurlingham,
Nairobi, Kenya.
Email: education@coecsa.org.
CC: robert@coecsa.org.
The COECSA Accreditation Process
The following process applies to the COECSA accreditation process:
STEP 1: Application for Accreditation
- Institution express interest for accreditation in writing to the Secretariat.
- Application/Accreditation pack will be made available which will include the Self-Assessment Form, Detailed relevant curriculum and this application form.
- The completed file/forms must be returned to COECSA Secretariat. If COECSA does not receive the completed application pack within a month, it is assumed that there is no longer interest in continuing the process.
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NOTE: The application will only be considered valid if the following documents have been attached:
- Completed Application Form
- Registration Certificate/s
- Completed Self-Assessment Form
- Partnership Agreement/s (where two or more institutions are collaborating)
STEP 2: Desk Review
- The application is reviewed by the College Education & Accreditation Committee.
- The applicant will then be informed of the committee’s findings.
- If the preliminary findings do not meet accreditation standards, the applicant can take remedial action within 6 months, and continue with the same application. However, if remedial action is not completed within this period, a fresh application will have to be started.
- If preliminary findings meet the threshold for accreditation, an agreement will be reached with the applicant on the dates for site visits by the accreditation team.
STEP 3: Site Evaluation Visit
- Prior to the physical accreditation visit, the shortlisted applicant may be requested to submit an Electronic Exhibit (video, photos) of the facilities.
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COECSA then appoints an appropriate accreditation team. The team is comprised of:
- Two COECSA Accreditation Committee/Ex-com Members.
- Representative from the Medical Council.
- Country Chapter Society Representative.
- COECSA CEO/Education Manager.
- The Accreditation Team conducts on-site assessment.
- Evaluation report is drafted by the Chairperson of the Team.
- Report is submitted to the Education & Accreditation Committee.
STEP 4: Accreditation and Certification
- Accreditation Report is submitted to the Senate by the Education & Accreditation Committee chairperson
- The final outcome including recommendations are communicated to the applicant.
- Unfavorable applicants can reapply for a second site visit. This reapplication must be accompanied with details of how compliance recommendations have been addressed.
- Should the evaluation results be favorable, the institution will be granted a provisional COECSA accreditation valid for 18 months. If during its validity, no trainee is enrolled, then the accreditation process will have to be restarted.
- The full COECSA accreditation certificate valid for 5 years, will only be granted following assessment 1 year after commencement of training.