AIIMS Nagpur to conduct 1000 cataract surgeries for free

Nagpur: Patients falling under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category as well as senior citizens will get free cataract surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Nagpur has taken a remarkable initiative to conduct 1,000 cataract surgeries using advanced Intra-Ocular Lens (IOL) for free of cost.

The surgeries will be conducted as part of the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment, which aims to achieve a target of 1 crore 5 lakh cataract surgeries in the financial year 2024-25 and the institute has been assigned a target of 1000 surgeries to address the backlog of eligible cataract cases.

The institute has decided to cover the costs of the advanced high-quality lens expenses, and patients falling into the two specified categories will receive the surgery free of cost.

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Unlike other government hospitals that use older, rigid lenses provided by government agencies, AIIMS Nagpur will use advanced intra-ocular lenses (IOL) for free to provide patients with proper and natural vision post-surgery. These IOLs not only last longer but also help correct astigmatism and offer better vision quality.

This decision comes in response to the reluctance of many patients to undergo surgery with outdated lenses, which has resulted in missed surgical targets in previous years. 

As per the TOI news report, when people visiting the hospital find out that surgeries are being conducted under the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment, they often asked about the quality of the lenses. They are fully aware that the lenses are outdated and rigid.

Hence, the patients would prefer to pay for a high-quality lens instead of receiving a low-quality one, which resulted in AIIMS Nagpur failing to meet its target last year. Last year, AIIMS Nagpur only completed 22 out of its target of 350 surgeries due to patients' preference for modern lenses not covered by the program.

Speaking to The Daily, AIIMS Nagpur Director Dr P P Joshi said, “While surgeries are conducted for free, the lenses provided by the government are of old type and rigid. We have decided to use advanced lenses at our own expense and ensure the target is achieved."

Under the National Programme for 2024-25, GMCH Nagpur has been given a target of 3,600 surgeries, while IGGMCH has a target of 3,200 patients. Charity hospitals are expected to conduct 11,253 surgeries, and private hospitals are set to perform 22,508 surgeries this year.

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