Hyderabad: The Hon’ble Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has instructed the Medical and health Department to get ready to conduct eye tests for every person in the villages all over the State. He wanted with the help of MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other elected representatives awareness should be created among the people on the need for eye tests before launching the actual programme. He wanted the entire programme should be planned properly and an action plan should be kept ready.
The CM held a review meeting on the statewide eye tests at Pragati Bhavan here on Sunday. Medical and Health Minister C Laxmareddy, Chief Advisor Rajiv Sharma, Advisor G R Reddy, Principal Secretary Shanthi Kumari, Medical and Health Director Ms Vakati Karuna, Medical and Health OSD Gangadhar, Chief Programme Officer Srinivas, NPCB Director Motilal Naik, CEO Gopikanth Reddy and others participated.
The “First of all find out how many eye camps to be conducted in the State. Determine how many eye tests one medical team can conduct in a day. Based on this, calculate how many medical teams are to be deputed to the villages based on the population figures. In village eye tests for all the people should be conducted on a single day. Conduct eye camps village wise. Medical teams should work for five day in week and allow them to take leave on Saturdays and Sundays. The government should arrange the stay, food for the visiting medical teams in the villages. Keep all the required instruments ready for the conduct of the eye tests. There are about 900 medical teams available all over the state. Enlist the services of not only eye specialists in the state but also from the neighboring states. Prepare strategies to conduct eye tests in the villages, in Hyderabad, Corporations and municipalities,” the CM said.
“After the eye tests provide spectacles for the needy at free of cost. Give required medicines also free of cost. Refer patients that require surgeries to the government as well as the private hospitals,” the CM said.
“A lot of people are suffering with eye ailments. Since they do not have awareness, they are not seeking any medical help and are shying away from any medical treatment. They are also not in a position to go for the eye tests. They are leading their lives with eye problems. We have to create awareness among such people. Give wider publicity to the free eye camps being conducted by the government. Create an awareness such a way that each and every person should come to the eye camp for the test. Make public representatives, youth, women organizations and voluntary organizations as stakeholders in the programme. Once they undergo eye tests they get clarity on their eye problems. Accordingly they take medical help and precautions. To conduct eye tests for them for the first time is the main responsibility of the government. It is a difficult task to conduct eye test to each and every person in the village. However, I am confident that the officials will complete this task successfully with dedication and commitment,” the CM said.
