Eyecare in rural Jharkhand

Inspiration can strike in the most unexpected places. For Jagannath Santra of RC Jamshedpur, RID 3250, it happened in the quiet halls of the National Archives of Singapore. “While I was there on work just before the Covid lockdown, I came across a photograph of a 1947 Rotary mobile dispensary donated by the Rotary Club of Singapore. It had once treated civilians injured during World War II, and supported vaccination drives. That image reminded me of Rotary’s legacy of humanitarian service,” he recalls.

That moment of inspiration soon translated into action back home. His wife, Madhumita Santra, as president-elect of the club, was in the early stages of planning a global grant project for 2021–22. She appointed a core team to conduct a thorough community assessment and identify critical needs, with special emphasis on access to eyecare in the rural interiors of Jharkhand. Santra, drawing on his experience in project management, joined the team as the primary contact, working alongside club members Dr Vijaya Bharat and N Rammurty.

Their collective efforts culminated in the Rotary Satellite Eye Screening Clinic, with funding support of $40,681 (then ₹32.15 lakh). A plain utility vehicle was transformed into a fully equipped mobile eye diagnostic van, “a feat of design and precision engineering completed with the help of Force Motors’ fabrication unit in Jamshedpur,” recalls Santra.

Following a successful trial run and staff training, the van hit the road. In collaboration with the Jamshedpur Eye Hospital and Tata Steel Foundation, it began delivering essential eyecare to underserved communities “across 55 villages surrounding Jamshedpur, conducting five eye camps each week, weather permitting,” explains Santra. “Our focus is primarily on elderly villagers and women who otherwise have no access to timely and affordable eyecare. We also run monthly camps in the city for domestic workers and housekeeping staff.”

Our focus is on elderly villagers and women who have no access to timely and affordable eyecare. We also run monthly camps in the city for domestic workers and housekeeping staff.

From February 2023 to February 2025, the van had travelled 27,468km, held 394 eye camps, and screened 10,970 individuals. The results have been impactful: 2,970 cataract cases detected, 846 surgeries conducted at the Jamshedpur Eye Hospital, 4,137 refractive errors diagnosed, and 1,270 spectacles distributed, all in Rotary-branded cases.

Dr Vijaya , a core committee member, underscores the project’s success formula: “Start with a serious needs assessment. Understand who you’re serving and what the gaps are. Then build partnerships with the right local institutions like our collaboration with the Jamshedpur Eye Hospital and Tata Steel Foundation, which brought in medical expertise and managed outreach and logistics.”

Beyond numbers, the human stories make this project come alive. ­Santra recounts one such story, of Kailash, a 64-year-old construction worker who had been struggling for months due to deteriorating vision. “He fumbled with tools, missed his step on scaffolds, and feared for his safety every day. When he finally received his prescription glasses through our mobile clinic, it changed his life. He regained his confidence and livelihood.”

Another example is Surendra, an elderly animal handler at the Jamshedpur Zoological Park, who received his first pair of glasses during a special camp for zoo workers. “I feel safe again,” he said, describing how clearer vision helped him take better care of the animals and navigate his duties more confidently.

A strong visible identity helped cement the project’s presence and ensured Rotary’s contribution was both seen and remembered. “We wanted every beneficiary to know that it was Rotary that brought this care to them. The van is boldly branded, and everything from spectacle cases to staff uniforms carry the Rotary logo. This visibility builds awareness and trust,” says Santra.

In December 2024, the club welcomed John Ranger Miles and Fiona Pauline Miles from their global grant partner club, RC Guildford, RID 1145. They attended the eye camp at the Zoological Park, distributing spectacles and appreciation certificates to the staff of the Jamshedpur Eye Hospital and Tata Steel Foundation.

While the van was initially intended to focus on identifying diabetic retinopathy among rural populations, the findings surprised the team. “We expected to find a high number of diabetes-related eye complications. But what we discovered was quite the opposite… diabetes itself was rare in these remote areas,” notes Dr Vijaya.

This unexpected insight led the team to reanalyse the screening data, which revealed a different challenge: refractive errors were by far the most common issue, accounting for 4,137 diagnoses during the reporting period.

“Now, unlike cataracts or ­diabetic ­complications, blurry vision isn’t life-­threatening,” says Vijaya. “So many people took the prescriptions but didn’t follow up with purchasing spectacles either due to cost or lack of access.” To close this “critical gap,” the club partnered with ­Enlightened Vision, which offers “high-quality spectacles at subsidised rates. Now, beneficiaries not only receive a diagnosis but can also pick up their customised spectacles during follow-up camps — all under one roof,” she explains.

The project, she notes, “continues to evolve based on field data and lived experience. We learn something new with every camp. We’ve trained school teachers in basic eye screening so that awareness and early detection continue even after the van leaves.”

What started as a single club initiative has now become a model for others. Santra says that five clubs from RID 3250 have already launched or received approval for similar projects. “We’re mentoring them, sharing everything we’ve learned along the way.” He goes on to add that the project’s greatest reward is “witnessing transformation at the most personal level… when a daily-wage earner returns to work, a child reads the blackboard clearly again, or an elderly woman is able to see her grandchildren’s faces.”