Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a notice against the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare after petition was filed by Indian Optometry Federation regarding illegal release of money for deployment of untrained, unqualified manpower in various Vision centers established under National Program for Control of Blindness (NPCB).
Ajeet Bhardwaj, president, Indian Optometry Federation said, "The Government is allowing employment of untrained and unqualified people by NGOs, hospitals and lens manufacturing companies which is causing more harm to the unsuspecting people who believe that the person advising them is trained medical professional and believing their advice." "In our petition we have pleaded the High Court to put stay on the grants to NGOs, hospitals and private companies for various vision centres being established by them and huge money being spent without any benefit to the masses," said Bhardwaj.
The petition alleges that Government is releasing funds to the NGOs, private companies deploying untrained manpower under various misleading names of Vision Techniacin's employed in vision centres like Refractionists, Eye Mitra. These people are school drop outs, unqualified with untrained manpower and undertaking the work of eye care such as prescribing lenses prescribing medicines being unauthorised.