Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network-Mangaluru (JS)
Mangaluru, Feb 8: "Eye and ear check-up reports will be made compulsory for admission to the first standard. This is to ensure that any disability regarding eye or ear is detected in its early stage and the right treatment is provided," said health minister U T Khader.
Khader was speaking in a meeting with officials concerned at Circuit House here on Monday February 8 in view of forming a state eye health policy.
A team of opthalmologists and eye care experts was formed and a meeting was convened to deliberate on key issues like strengthening the implementation of national programme to control blindness and identify gaps in the programme implementation.
The team also deliberated on identifying gaps and strategies to strengthen the existing hospitals to plug the loopholes so that the delivery of eye care services is more qualitative and cover a wider population.
The impetus will be more on identifying refractive error at an early stage among school-going children, distribution of free spectacles, screening and giving presbyopia correction to aged persons apart from cataract surgeries and diagnosis and treatment of other eye diseases.
Strategies were also discussed to maximise the potential of eye surgeons by redeploying them at secondary and tertiary levels and equipping them with the latest apparatus. Involvement of all medical colleges in the effective implementation of the national programme for control of blindness was stressed during the meeting. Involvement of non-governmental organizations in treating the causes of blindness other than cataract was also discussed.
Health minister U T Khader directed the officials to form a policy before the next budget and said, "The benefits given by the government should reach the general public. Compulsory eye and ear checkups should be conducted for children at preschool level. Eye and ear check up reports will be made compulsory for admission to the first standard. This is to ensure that any disability is identified in advance and right treatment is provided.
"Spectacles will be provided free of cost to children up to 10th standard irrespective of APL or BPL card holders and people above 40 years who are BPL card holders. Cataract treatment is done free of cost across government hospitals and selected private hospitals in the state," he informed.
He also directed the officials to create awareness among the general public about the schemes of the government so that they can reap the benefits.
"The state government has withdrawn the primary health centres (PHC) from private medical colleges under Arogya Bandhu. A new condition is imposed from the old one. Earlier, three PSUs were managed by Medical Association of India. Now according to the new rule, a total of five PSUs will have to be managed by the medical colleges - three in rural areas and two in town,” he added.