Hyderabad:4.5 lakh identified for eye surgery

Hyderabad: More than 2.5 lakh people have been identified under the state government’s Kanti Velugu scheme as requiring complicated eye surgery and 4.5 lakh people require cataract surgery in the state of Telangana. The huge numbers mean that the health department has to plan the surgeries so that there is no repeat of the botched surgeries that were done in Warangal.

A senior government doctor, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained: “To set targets for cataract surgeries is not correct. It depends on various factors and we cannot set a timeline for it. These surgeries can be done only in government hospitals and registered private hospitals under the National Blindness Control programme.” The NBC programme is a centrally funded programme.

Doctors say that after the botched Warangal surgeries, surgeons are doing only eight to 10 surgeries a day under the Kanti Velugu scheme.

The scheme has created a lot of awareness about eye problems, but elective surgeries like cataract must be planned and can’t be rushed.

Dr Atul Gupta, head of the department of ophthalmology in Government Medical College in Nizamabad, explains the process thus: “The District Blindness Control Society maintains the data of the patients and it allows us to opt for elective surgeries based on the priority. Whatever is an emergency surgery is carried out first. But other complications can be managed with medication. Surgeons have to plan surgeries to ensure that even high numbers ensure good outcomes. This is a priority in patient care.”

Hospitals in both the government and private sector are listing these cataract surgeries under the National Blindness Control Programme, which is reimbursed by the Central government.

A senior ophthalmologist agrees that the state government created a lot of awareness with its scheme, which got people to come for screening. “This has now brought them forward for surgeries and that is being carried out in the central programme,” he said.