Malda district admin gives free transportation to ‘Chokher Alo’ beneficiaries

Malda: The Malda district administration is providing free conveyance from houses to hospital and return to the beneficiaries under the Chokher Alo scheme. Almost 95 per cent of the beneficiaries who were screened for a cataract operation have undergone surgeries after the free conveyance was given. The target for the ophthalmology assistants at the block level has been set for at least 800 to be screened every month.

Malda has set a target of 7,000 beneficiaries this year. A new microscope needed for the surgery has also been installed at the Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) so that cataract removal surgeries can be done.

In 2021, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee kicked off the project to have cataract-free eyes for all by 2025. The target is to operate cataract of at least 20 lakh senior citizens. The West Bengal government will also provide free spectacles to 8.25 lakh aged people. Malda has performed almost 5,000 such operations in the previous year.

Earlier, senior citizens detected with cataract were to come on their own to MMCH for the free surgery. They were however provided free spectacle. Vaibhav Choudhury, ADM (G) in-charge of health, said: “As the turnout of the detected persons for surgeries has gone up to 95 per cent, we are putting more stress on the screening of the beneficiaries.”