Health Minister Ma. Subramanian on Saturday said the ‘Kalaignarin Varumun Kappom’ scheme now includes screening for cataract for the benefit of the poor.
“Two days ago, the Union Health Ministry said that it was the State government’s responsibility to provide free treatment for cataract. ‘Varumun Kappom’ camps comprise 17 medical specialities, and 1,250 camps will be held a year. Last year, 1,260 camps were held in which nine lakh persons benefitted,” he said, while addressing the gathering at the 37th Intraocular Implant and Refractive Surgery convention - IIRSI 2022.
As many as 460 medical camps were held so far this year, he said, adding: “For the first time, we have added screening for cataract. All camps will from now on provide eye screening for cataract surgery. Through this, the poor can have easy access to cataract surgery in the State.” He said the aim was to bring in a scheme for a cataract-free Tamil Nadu, and urged the ophthalmologists to join hands for this objective.
IIRSI (Intraocular Implant and Refractive Society of India) 2022 was a two-day annual convention that featured live surgeries and wet lab sessions to provide hands-on experiences for participants on novel surgical techniques and best treatment practices. Amar Agarwal, secretary-general, IIRSI and chairman, Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, said the aim of the convention was to educate participants.
The Minister presented awards to international and Indian ophthalmologists and also released a book on the occasion. Among others, Mahipal S. Sachdev, chairman of Scientific Committee of IIRSI, Vinod Arora, president of IIRSI, Lalit Verma, chairman of All India Ophthalmological Society Scientific Committee, Namrata Sharma, professor of Ophthalmology at AIIMS, Delhi, and Mohan Rajan, treasurer of IIRSI, spoke on the occasion.
