RKMH parters with ORBIS for eye care facilities

Itanagar, Dec 24: The Ramakrishna Mission Hospital(RKMH) has partnered with ORBIS International, a global blindness prevention organisation, to develop an advanced eye care unit(ECU) within three years.

Bishwatmananada Maharaj of RKM said yesterday,''The hospital aims to provide vision to all curable blind people of Papum Pare district in first phase.'' Swamiji said the service would be extended to other districts in a phased manner.

All cataract patients were screened during an outdoor camp. They were operated free of cost in the hospitals, he said, while citing the example of three Phaco operations performed yesterday. Such operation cost Rs 19,000 even at Kolkata, he added.

Swamiji said two-day continuing medical education (CME) was conducted by ORBIS in collaboration with RKMH here to provide hands-on training in phacoenulsification techniques of pediatrict cataract to 11 ophthalmologists.

ORBIS is known for its unique strategy of addressing avoidable blindness by building capacity of local eye care professionals of the developing state-of-the-art training programmes.

The RKMH unit would cost around Rs 80 lakh. ORBIS would be funding 60 per cent of the project for providing training and equipment besides developing a child-friendly eye clinic.

UNI