Free Eye Check up Camp
Sparsh in Association With AIIMS
Sparsh in association with AIIMS has taken a noble initiative to organize a free eye check up camp at Shani Mandir in Noida on every Saturday. This outreach programme by Sparsh is aimed at spreading awareness amongst the masses about the importance of eye hygiene and medical care. To take up this cause on a more strong footing, Sparsh has signed an MoU with All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to provide free eye check to the weaker section of the society for free with the help of the Team of Doctors from AIIMS. Sparsh will continue with its efforts and commitment to give back to the society through such endeavors in future as well.
A Sustainable Model For Comprehensive Outreach Eye Care Services for underserved population in Delhi and NCR
Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi was established in 1967 under the Ministry of Health Family Welfare Government of India as an Apex Centre in Ophthalmic Sciences in India. Since the inception, the centre provides the State of the Art ophthalmic care services in the country. The centre also plays a major role in launching The National Program for Control of Blindness, Ministry of Health Family Welfare Govt. of India in 1976. Now, the centre is known as a Centre of Excellence for ophthalmic care under the National Program for Control of Blindness. Apart from promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative nature of patients care services, lots of research, training, workshops are being organized regularly. It provides largest training and academic MD residential program in the ASIA. The centre is also known for collaborative services for years with the World Health Organization in prevention of blindness and visual impairment. Under this collaborative, the centre strives to promote the Universal Eye Health strategies of WHO action plan.
We aim to increase the accessibility of eye care service amongst underserved population. Therefore, the centre gives due emphasis to community-based eye care services. Way back in the year 2000 before, the centre organized multiple makeshift surgical eye camp in collaboration with local NGOs through the mobile ophthalmic unit, but later Govt. of India withdrew this type of camp rather the current government recommendation is a community-based screening & examination, identify and refer the operable cases to Base Hospital. The government also recommends to establish centres for comprehensive eye care services to provide eye care to those unreachable community.
As part of strengthening community based primary eye care services, Dr. RP Centre plan to establish comprehensive eye care centres for the underserved slum and resettlement colonies population in Delhi & NCR. The goal is to provide primary eye care services at the doorstep of population and eliminate avoidable blindness.
Proposed Plan for Eye Care Services in Conjunction with Partner
1. Comprehensive eye care services through a Vision Centre
To begin with, one Vision Centre will be established in Noida area as suggested by SPARSH NGO. The Vision Centre will serve a population of 1-2 lakh. The key activities in the Vision centre will include screening and primary level treatment of patients with ocular morbidity, refraction services, referral of operable cases of cataract to RPCentre for free surgery, referral of cases with other ocular conditions and follow up of operated cases. Vision Centre will be functional at least once in a week and Around 50 patients are estimated to be registered on each clinic day.
2. Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Camps
The Vision centre activities will be supplemented with Diabetic retinopathy screening camps in the catchment area of vision centres. These camps will be organized at regular interval once in every two months. Identified DR cases will be referred at RPCentre for further investigations and management.
3. IEC Activities
The Team from RPCentre will conduct regular eye health education talks in the vision centre. IEC material will be developed and disseminated in the vision centre and in DR screening camps. People in the catchment area will also be oriented about primary eye care through the film shows.
4. Training of volunteers in Primary eye care
The volunteers from community will be trained in primary eye care so that they may act as mobiliser for primary eye care services for the people in the community. They will be trained in identifying visually impaired patients in the community who will be referred to vision centre for further management.
5. Low vision Rehabilitation services to the patients with functional low vision.
Specialized outreach camps will also be organized for Low Vision and rehabilitation counseling. Patients with functional low vision will be shown in RPCentre Low Vision Clinic for medical rehabilitation and their disability certification will be arranged. They will be further provided community based rehabilitation.
6. Assessing epidemiological trends of eye diseases
Dr. R.P.centre will maintain the computerized data records of all the patients seen in the vision centres so that the trends of ocular morbidity and outcome of treatment may be assessed among the patients attending the vision centre and referral services.