IEP Dehradun August 21, 2022
Uttarakhand Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat has said that a campaign in phased manner would be undertaken to make Uttarakhand free from cataract. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a call for ‘Cataract free India’ campaign so that the country is made free from cataract in the next three years. The minister said that the free operation of cataract patients is being done in the State and free eyeglasses are being provided to such patients.
Elaborating further he said that in the year 2017-18, free cataract surgery was performed on 37,901 patients while 34,538 surgeries were done in the year 2018-19. In the year 2019-20 a total of 33,292 cataract surgeries were performed while 23,160 and 34,627 surgeries were formed in the year 2020-21 and 2021-22 respectively. The minister added that the State government is committed to making the State free from cataract.
He said that 37th national eye donation fortnight would be organised in the State from August 25 to September 8. The fortnight is being organised under the aegis of the National programme for control of blindness and visual impairment. The Minister has given necessary instruction to the officers of the health department for successful organisation of the campaign. In the fortnight the people would be encouraged to take a pledge to donate eyes after their death.
Rawat said that camps to test the eyes of the people would be organised at the block levels in all the 13 districts of the state during the campaign. Apart from checking the eyes the ANMs and Asha workers would distribute vitamin A tablets in these camps. Rawat said that many schemes are being operated in the State for the patients with visual impairment and other diseases.
