Tata Steel Foundation enables 100 cataract surgical camps across Jharkhand

Jamshedpur, March 12: Tata Steel Foundation and Sankara Nethralaya marked the 100th cataract surgery camp in Noamundi, covering major districts in Jharkhand. The initiative started in September 2016, with its inaugural camp in Sildauri, Noamundi, MESU (Mobile Eye Surgery Unit) has traversed through various districts of Jharkhand, reaching saturation levels in Mandu block, Ramgarh district, and Baghmara block of Dhanbad district.

The initiative, currently in its eighth year, has recorded over 11,197 cataract surgeries, after screening nearly 44,656 people across several districts of Jharkhand, including remote and hard-to-reach areas. This initiative underscores TSF and Sankara Nethralaya’s unwavering commitment to providing quality eye care services to underserved communities, particularly in rural areas.

Addressing this milestone, Sourav Roy, Chief Executive Officer, Tata Steel Foundation, shared, “We are happy to have reached this milestone, but it has taken significant efforts to come this far. Over the past years, our teams have actively increased the extent and reach of the mobile eye surgery units, ensuring that every last mile person gets the necessary treatment. Our network of sahiyyas and other frontline healthcare workers have helped us reach every household in very hard-to-reach areas. We hope to continue this mission of cataract-free districts, and extend our scope to other states, districts, or blocks, where there is a felt need for effective and affordable cataract surgeries. It is a modern healthcare innovation, that has been jointly led by the public health team, the frontline healthcare professionals, and our partners, Sankara Nethralaya who have reposed their faith in us walked the mile with us.”

The cataract surgery camps were initiated after a felt need was recognised during rural and urban clinics that were organised across districts by Tata Steel Foundation. Several cataract patients turned up at the camps, who were then referred to nearby hospitals for surgery and recovery. However, there were several cases bring reported from hard-to-reach areas who had little or no access to structured healthcare facilities. It was then that Sankara Nethralaya and Tata Steel Foundation joined hands to implement MESU across districts of Jharkhand to cater to the rising cases of cataract. This enabled quality healthcare for people in remote areas and have been instrumental in addressing cataract cases across districts. MESU is the only government approved mobile healthcare unit, where patients are released after two hours of observation post the cataract surgery. There have been no reported case of infection or post-operative complications from the 100 cataract camps held so far. MESU is also an affordable and accessible option for the last mile person living in the hard-to-reach areas.

The conclusion of the 100th cataract camp on March 16, 2024, will also reinstate Tata Steel Foundation’s efforts in enabling quality healthcare in rural and underserved corners of the country.