Mongolia

Blindness in Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country that shares a border with Russia to the North and China to the South. With a landmass of over 600,000 square miles and a population of just over 3 million, Mongolia has the least population density out of any independent nation on Earth. This makes providing healthcare services to all citizens extremely challenging. Since its population is spread out widely across its territory, many Mongolians do not have direct access to medical facilities.

Surprisingly, the country has 150 ophthalmologists. However, they generally practice in and around the capital of Ulaan Baatar. Consequently, access to eyecare services in rural areas remains limited.