Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Sunday inaugurated a mega cataract surgery camp in Daltonganj. The camp was being held by Kashyap Memorial Eye Bank (KMEB) Ranchi mainly for the school children of the Palamau region with the support of the State Government as well as SBI.
Addressing the programme, Ramesh, who is expected to inaugurate a 100-bed hospital in the district on January 31, said, that it was for the first time he witnessed such a big camp which was organised after surveying all the 2,700 schools across the district.
A total of 3.5 lakh students of Government schools and outside were surveyed first in three weeks time beginning from November 21 to December 15. As many as 7,000 para teachers were engaged for screening these students from 2,768 government schools. As many as 1,700 children were found to be down with eye problem. About four dozen have had cataract while others can make do with spectacles.
The basic objective of the camp is to obtain the target of reducing blindness rate of the country from 0.8 to 0.3 percent. For Jharkhand having 1.4 percent blindness rate, the programme was a mile stone to reduce the blindness rate to at least 0.8, the current national average.
Ramesh said, “We had two camps one each at Saranda and in latehar last year. But this eye camp in Daltonganj is not only highly impressive but other districts and states too should note down the labour and work done here for this by Palamu DC.” He further added that very few states in the country could have held such a camp like that of Palamau.
He further mentioned that 20 per cent children abandon school in the country for eye sickness. A Saranda family’s four children all below 11 years had cataract problems. Malaria is one disease which hastens eye problem much faster. This camp in Daltonganj is for children. Santhal Pargana is next stop for the eye camp. The minister spoke of union cabinet granting four medical colleges in Jharkhand. Jharkhand’s three running medical colleges will now have an increase in seats from 350 to 500, the minister pointed out.
Daltonganj Congress MlA K N Tripathi had a word of appreciation for Ramesh as he braved an inclement weather here. The KMEB Founder Director Bharti Kashyap said,” this mega camp is an initiative, which had taken off with the initiative of Ramesh committed to give vision to young rural Jharkhand. She further added that campaign with this mega camp will continue till she “reaches each and every district of the state.”
She also maintained that “28 percent blindness can be reduced before it takes place. For which vitamin A tablet is sufficient. 15 percent blindness can be reduced after treatment with the help of ophthalmologist. To reduce remaining 57 percent, proper precaution is required since pregnancy of woman. For this proper nutrition and proper precaution against infection is required.”
She further added the minister has embarked upon Vision for Young Rural Jharkhand and the role of the SBI in it is highly appreciative. The regional manager of the SBI N C Paul said the SBI has given 5 lakhs for this camp. SBI general manager K K Das said that he “will extend help to Kashyap under corporate social responsibility to remove blindness from the state.”
Suraj Kumar Singh (10), a class IV student of Semri Middle School, who had come from his village travelling 80km in the chilled morning, was happy participating in the camp. The boy, who was not able to see proper since his birth, was heard asking his father about the time when he will be able to see properly.
“Ketna Di Mein hum thik se dekhe lagbai (after how many days I will be able to see properly,” he was heard asking to his father, Santosh Singh, a farmer having no means for his treatment. The programme was attended by Principal Secretary Personnel SK Satpathy, Congress MlA KN Tripathi, SBI Deputy General Manager P Kala, Private Secretary to the Union Minister RV Krishna among others.