OT EQUIPMENTS FOR THE ROTARY EYE HOSPITAL AT KHURJA, INDIA
Proposal for the fresh Global Grant
Rotary Club Khurja got its charter in 1974. After its inception the club began searching the field/ area, where the efforts need be targeted for the benefit of the poor. Soon it realized that blindness prevention was such an area, as there were no eye care facility in the area nearby and people had to go far off places, ie. over 45 km distance to get the cataract surgery done. Then the club started an eye clinic in a rented premises and started conducting Eye Camps on yearly basis to conduct the cataract surgeries. These surgeries were being performed in make shift Operation Theatres. Later on in 90's the Government of India disallowed surgeries in these make shift Operation Theatres for the fear of poor hygiene as well as post operative care was nonexistent in these camps. So the club felt a strong need for a permanent Eye hospital.
In the year 2000, the club got a major boost in its efforts, when one of its active member Rtn. Mool Chand Agarwal donated 2000sqm of land for the hospital. Then through generous donations from club members, the club started construction work on this piece of land in the year 2003, which was over by the year 2006. In the year 2007 the club collaborated with ICare hospital and Post Graduate Medical Research Centre in Noida to run the Hospital. Under the agreement, ICare doctors were to conduct OPD in the Hospital but the patients needing surgery were to be shifted to Noida for the surgery, as the Operation Theatre in the hospital had no equipments.
Then in the year 2012 with the kind cooperation of Rotary Club Pasadena After Hours R I Distt. 5300 USA, the club could get a Matching Grant #76408 from TRF for an amount US$ 29444/- to buy the essential surgical equipments. That MG Project is now over and through this the club has been able to purchase the following equipments.
1. Operating Microscope
2. Auto Ref-Keratometer
3. OT Table with Surgeons Stool
4. Cataract Sets
5. Bi Polar Unit
6. Ultra sonic Cleaner
7. Sterilizer
8. AC
In the MG Project #76408 due to financial constraint complete set of OT Equipments could not be procured.
Presently over 1200 cataract surgeries are being performed every year in addition to over 100 OPD's daily. If we get a few more equipments these figures will multiply many times. In view of that a fresh proposal is presented so that the OT may become fully equipped with surgical equipments and become fully functional.
Blindness is one of the significant social problems in India with7 million of the total 45 million blind people in the world residing in our country. Major barriers to cataract surgery are poverty,no transportation, need not felt, and sex related. The low literacy rate among females and poor accessibility of the surgicalsites were identified as important barriers in rural areas. There was also association found between socioeconomic status and cataract among cataract patients.
Cataract is the clouding of the lens of the eye which prevents clear vision. In India nearly 60% population over 60 years of age is suffering from cataract, and due to higher life expectancy this figure of 7 million is likely to go higher in coming years.
Surrounding area around Khurja ie. area in a radius of 30-40 KM, is generally poor and dependant on agriculture. Nearly 8-10 eye clinics that are operating in District Bulandshahar are privately owned and working purely for commercial purpose only. On the other hand Rotary Eye Hospital is a non profit organization for charity only. All revenues earned is spent 100% on development of Hospital only. The Hospital has a separate Bank Account in another Bank and not a single Rupee is transferred from hospital to Club account and not even to other community service projects undertaken by R C Khurja, time to time.
Two government hospitals at Khurja and Bulandshahar district headquarter are although equipped with cataract surgery equipments as well as surgeons, but because of govt. staff apathy, behavior and negligence hardly anyone approaches there for cataract surgeries.
According to a survey of patients nearly 88% are worried about the cost of operation and they do not get the treatment either because of hardship of money, late detection of cataract, non cooperation from children, need not felt, transportation or non accessibility of surgical site, and managing with other eye etc.
We at R C Khurja aim to target this section of under or unpriviledged section of our region, so as to get rid of cataract blindness.
When R C Khurja started Cataract surgeries nearly 10 years ago, our cooperating organization I Care Eye Hospital provided us a used Slit Lamp and a Feco M/c, besides some other important equipments required for Cataract Surgeries. In that period those equipments were enough to meet the demand at that point of time. But as on today because of our non profit, charitable, quality and results of our surgeries, the no. of patients is going up every year. As a result the equipments thatwe have today, borrowed from I Care Eye Hospital Noida, insufficient to meet the growing no of patients.
One Slit Lamp is not enough for check up of patients over 100 every day.
One Feco Machine is not enough to operate patients over 20 in just 4-5 hours time in a day, as result pie atients have to wait 10-15 days for cataract surgeries especially in winter season ie. Nov to march.
Yag Laser M/c is required for Yag Laser Capsulotomy, which is just not available with us and the patients requiring this process are required to be sent to I Care Noida for just 5 a minute process.
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