Special Outreach Camps in Rural Areas
VFI conducts surgical camps in places like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar. In this kind of camp we conduct surgeries at local hospitals where our team of doctors visit and perform surgeries. These camps are held generally in association with local hospital. Objective of this kind of camp is to train local doctors and clear the surgical backlog in their areas.
Through these camps, we reached out to over 10,135 patients and 5,744 were successfully operated free of cost till 31st March 2008.
Navnit Shah Mobile Eye Clinics
Lack of medical facilities and proper infrastructure makes it difficult for people in remote villages to reach even a Rural Eye Care Center. Hence VFI has developed unique outreach program, whereby our infrastructure and expertise in eye care is made available to these people at their doorsteps. VFI provides outreach facilities through 2 mobile medical eye clinics one with diagnostic equipment and the other with diabetic retinopathy equipment.
Navnit Shah Mobile Eye Clinics for community outreach programs were inaugurated after the spiritual ceremony at Jain Temple,Walkeshwar on 6th June 2004. Later on that day it was formally inaugurated by Shri Navnitbhai Shah and Justice Shri Y.V.Chandrachud in the presence of many other eminent dignitaries at Y.B.Chavan auditorium.
- Till 30th September 2008 Vision Foundation of India has organized 663 outreach eye camps of which 485 in Mumbai and 178 outside Mumbai.
- We have successfully examined 71,172 patients only through mobile eye clinics and 1784 patients undergone free cataract surgeries.
- Camps are held in various slums & housing society of Mumbai, and other rural areas of Thane, Raigadh, Pune district.
Primary Rural Eye Care Centre, Gavhan
Primary Rural Eye Care Centre of VFI was set up in Gavhan Village, of Panvel Taluka of Raigad District, in December 2005.
Here we first conduct eye check ups, then take the patients who need surgery to our hospital at Vashi in patient transport van, operate them and drop them back to their villages.
We have examined 2,120 patients at the Gavhan Centre and conducted 154 surgeries till 30th September 2008.
Primary Rural Eye Care Centre, Giravale
With our initial success at the Gavhan Centre, we opened a second Primary Rural Eye Care Centre in March 2006 at Giravale Village, Raigad District, Panvel Taluka (Aprox. 25 km from Vashi).
This centre offers primary eyecare services to rural population covering villages around the centre.
The OPD is conducted thrice a week. So far we have examined 1812 patients and operated 105 patients from this centre till 30th September 2008.
Navnit Shah Eye Bank
In India alone 15 million people are blind, out of which about 3 million suffer due to corneal blindness. The major causes for this are infections, injuries, malnutrition, congenital disorders, etc. The pathetic situation is that a majority of them belong to the younger age group. Fortunately, these diseased corneas causing blindness can now be replaced successfully through transplantation (medically termed keratoplasty) using human donor corneas
The Navnit Shah Eye Bank was inaugurated the 1st of October 2000. It was a grand function, attended by prominent citizens and dignitaries, and by patient's who had undergone successful corneal grafting. The Eye Bank had become a reality due to the philanthropy and benevolence of Mr. Navnitbhai Shah.
Right now it acts as eye ball collection centre and works in co-ordination with a central processing centre. Since the year 2001-08 we have collected 588 eye balls through eye donation calls.
Under the aegis of the Navnit Shah Eye Bank regular Eye Donation Awareness Programmes are conducted. The lectures use audio-visual tools and culminate in an interactive question-answer session. We also constantly propagate the message of eye donation in different occasion and dispel myths about the same.
The awareness programmes have been very well received by prominent organizations in the country like, Dignity Foundation, Patan Jain Mandal, Inner Wheel Clubs, Stree Seva Samaj Mandal, Rotary Clubs, Registered Post Graduate Doctors, Paramedical and other staff, General & Family Physicians and Medical Practitioners, Members of the Indian Medical Association.
Smt Chadrakanta Vadilal Motasha Charitable Trust Low Vision Centre
We started the Low Vision Aids services on 7th January 2007.
This department provides specialized skills to people with very low vision. We have installed four sophisticated software programs (JAWS, Magic, Open Book and Prisma) to help patients with low vision.
These computer systems help them to carry out their routine activities like reading and writing independently
Any person with Low vision can walk into the centre to understand how the computer can enhance their working skill. They can practice on the system and understand these devices and if it satisfies their need they are encouraged to buy from vendor.
Till now more then 40 people have benefited from these services. |
