Maharashtra government eyes cataract-free 2019; 29,000 surgeries conducted so far

Under the initiative launched by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, 17 lakh cataract patients are likely to undergo cataract surgeries between December 2017 and July 2019.

Around 29,000 cataract patients in Maharashtra have got a gift of clearer vision in the past eight days.

The state is also readying a team of 40 doctors, who can go and perform surgeries in any part of the state, as and when needed.(Representational Image)

State health officials, working to resolve shortage of ophthalmologists, said that specialists are being trained on the job to meet the goal of cataract-free Maharashtra till 2019.

Under the initiative launched by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, 17 lakh cataract patients are likely to undergo cataract surgeries between December 2017 and July 2019. Over 175 operation theaters, across state, will perform surgeries with help of 350 ophthalmologists, working with state health department, municipal bodies and Directorate of Medical Education and Research. “Now, we have 155 ophthalmologists out of which 19 are such who have completed their specialisation but don’t have much experience. We are sending them to our 16 medical colleges where they will perform two to three surgeries every day to gain experience,” said Dr Lahane, head of the campaign.

The state is also readying a team of 40 doctors, who can go and perform surgeries in any part of the state, as and when needed. “We have several medical colleges with 7-10 ophthalmologists each. To ensure even distribution of resources, we will create a team of these specialists and send them to distant areas where there are fewer ophthalmologists employed,” Dr Lahane added.