Eye care on wheels

RI Director A S Venkatesh inaugurated a mobile eye clinic  of RC Rourkela Queens, RID 3261, during his recent visit to ­Sambalpur, Odisha. The mobile clinic Drishti aims to bring eye care to the doorsteps of people in the rural and semi urban areas which do not have eye clinics in their vicinity. RC Butwal Central, Nepal, RID 3292, was its international partner and the club was supported by TRF and RIDs 3012, 3053 and 3070.

“This is our maiden global grant project,” smiles Rashmi Agrawal, president of the all-women’s club with 46 members. The vehicle is equipped with an auto refractometer, a tonometer to check eye pressure and other ­state-of-the-art ­equipment. She thanks PDG Ranjit Singh Saini and DRFC Deepak Mehta for guiding her club in availing the GG.

Eye camps will be regularly planned with the support of Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital, Rourkela, which will also take care of training the technicians and bear the operating costs such as consumables, salaries to staff, doctors, driver and other technicians, fuel and maintenance cost, and other incidental expenses. All corrective treatments including surgeries will be done at the hospital at nominal cost. Spectacles will be given free of cost.

“We have invited other Rotary clubs and our RCCs to make use of the mobile clinic for their service ­projects,” says Rashmi.