KMC inks pact for giving free eye treatment at urban primary health centres

kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Sankara Jyoti Eye Institute for providing eye check up and making necessary interventions including cataract surgery completely free of cost.

"The pilot project will be launched in two urban primary health centres (UPHC) of the KMC located at Gopal Chatterjee Road in ward 1 and Dum Dum Road in ward 4. Gradually we will have similar facilities in at least one UPHC in each borough and then in the UPHCs located at each of the 144 wards," Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh, who is in charge of KMC's Health department said.

The two health centres which will start functioning by the end of this month will conduct eye check up on a regular basis and if necessary will carry out surgery at its Institute located at New Town. The equipment for advanced eye check up is being readied by the Institute at the two health facilities. " Our main aim is to reach out to the marginalised population," Subrata Roy Chowdhury, Chief Medical Health Officer (CMHO), KMC said.

Ghosh said that the Principal of RG Kar Medical College Hospital has written to him for a joint venture project so that their doctors can go door to door for identifying patients with cataract and carry out surgery. "We will soon sign an agreement on this issue too," he added.

In India cataract is the major cause of blindness recording 62.6 per cent of blindness.