Right to Sight: Rajasthan first state to implement blindness control policy

In a first in the country, the Rajasthan government has implemented a policy for blindness control with the objective of 'Right to Sight'.

The Department of Medical and Health, on the direction of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, released the policy document for prevention of blindness on Friday.

The policy has been introduced with an aim to bring light in the lives of more than three lakh people suffering from visual impairment in the state. The prevalence rate of blindness in the country was 1.1 per cent in 2020 and work would be done to bring it down to 0.3 per cent through the blindness control policy.

Under the policy, the Rajasthan government will mandatorily run Keratoplasty Centres and Eye Banks at all the government medical colleges. Also, cornea collected by private organisations and NGOs getting financial help from the government will have to be provided to the government institutions on priority.

Efforts to eliminate visual impairment would be made in the districts in collaboration with voluntary organisations, trusts, hospitals and other charitable institutions working in this field.

In this regard, the state government will carry out a campaign for eye donation on an extensive level along with the private institutions. Special training will be imparted to eye experts, eye surgeons, post-graduate students, counsellors working for eye donation and eye assistants etc.

Medical and Health Department Secretary Prithvi said that public awareness and various technical improvement activities related to curing blindness will be organised under this policy.

--IANS

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