Jamshedpur, July 20: Tata Steel Rural Development Society�s (TSRDS) cataract surgery programme will now be strengthened by the presence of a young brigade. A total of 19 young men and women are all set to be deployed as eye camp field workers at different locations in Jharkhand and Odisha. The young lot has been trained as part of an initiative jointly undertaken by TSRDS and Jamshedpur Eye Hospital.
Certificates were given away to these youth at a function organised here today by TSRDS. The function also marked the felicitation of Mukhiyas (village heads) who played a crucial role in identifying youth from their respective villages for the training programme. Ruchi Narendran, a former senior Tata Group executive and a champion of local causes in Jharkhand, was the chief guest on the occasion.
Speaking at the event, Ruchi Narendran, President, Jamshedpur Eye Hospital, said: �Tata Steel’s endeavour towards sustaining the health of its communities has been well-received. Such development initiatives further their journeys through long-term collaboration and effective training of the people. We look forward to continued support of all village heads in ensuring that our communities, especially our youth, receive adequate medical attention.�
The training programme enabled the youth to identify patients with mature cataract from their respective panchayats, ascertain the fitness of such patients through measurement of blood sugar and blood pressure, get such patients operated and thereby keep track of such patients till their last post-operative review. Apart from promoting sustainability of cataract surgery programme, the training will also create job opportunities for the youth, the company�s statement said.
Cataract, or clouding of the lens in the eye, is the most common reason for cases of blindness in India, with some experts estimating this to be as high as 63% or nearly two out of every three cases in the country.
Over the last five years, TSRDS has facilitated over 20,000 cataract surgeries in Jharkhand and Odisha, the company said. Between FY17 and FY18, the number of cataract correction surgeries performed with the support of TSRDS jumped from 390 to 692.
TSRDS works closely with eyecare specialists across the country like Mobile Eye Surgical Unit (MESU), Sankara Netralaya, Chennai, Lokeshwarananda Eye Foundation, Purulia, West Bengal, Sankara Eye Foundation, Ganjam, Odisha.
The event was also honoured by the presence of Dr S.P. Jakhanwal, Secretary & Superintendent, Jamshedpur Eye Hospital and Niloy Mitter, Head, Health & TQM, CSR, Tata Steel.