One week into the 30th National Eye Donation Fortnight, Ranchi-based Kashyap Memorial Eye Hospital is planning to honour family members of those who donated their eyes posthumously during the campaign. By far, 10 eye donations from Ranchi and one from Ramgarh have been made under the campaign.
Families of these eleven donors will be felicitated by Governor Droupadi Murmu during a ceremony this Tuesday at Morhabadi Ground. Health Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi will also be attending the ceremony.
Sunil Kedia, one such family member, said, “There have been five posthumous eye donations from my family and relatives. I and my family are also planning to donate our eyes, along with other body organs so that lives can be saved. The inspiration behind this is the happiness of those receiving my parents experience when they were able to see this world through their eyes.”
Kedia donated the eyes of both his parents, Mahaveer Prasad Kedia and Sulochna Kedia, after their demise under the fortnightly campaign.
“Even though he had not filled the pledge card for eye donation, but before leaving us, my father expressed his wish to donate his eyes after he dies to someone who needs them. Acting on his wishes we donated his eyes to Kashyap Memorial Eye Bank,” said Murari lal Agarwal.
Agarwal’s father, Ramavatar Choudhary, was the only among the 11 donors who himself wished to donate his eyes.
“Under the programme, we collaborated with ATSEC to conduct eye check-up camps in Namkum, Chanho and Mandar for girls who had to face human trafficking, where respectively 177, 155 and 124 girls were checked and eyeglasses were distributed among 102 girls who needed them,” said KMEH Director Dr. Bharti Kashyap.
She further added, “Apart from this, with help of Ranchi district administration, camps were conducted in Parasi, Hahap and Badam. A total of 1050 villagers availed the benefits of these camps. Out of this, refractive error was found in 200 villagers and 74 were found to have cataracts. But due to lack of awareness, only 20 turned up for cataract operations.”
“In the camp in Parasi, 38 were selected for cataract operations but only two came to us for getting their cataracts removed. Out of the two, one was a student who was having problems in reading, but was able to continue his studies after the surgery,” Dr. Kashyap said.
During the programme, BPl girls will also be felicitated by the dignitaries. Winners of painting competition conducted by KMEH at Delhi Public School will also be awarded.
“The ceremony will be organised with collected efforts of Jharkhand chapter of Indian Medical Association, Women Doctors’ Wing of IMA, FJCCI and other social organisation,” Dr. Kashyap said.