Health Policy Issues and Health Programmes in ... - Amazon S3

National Health Programme in Uttaranchalcamps. Camps are organized with the help of NGOs and private organizations. Eye screeningcamps are arranged on fixed dates at fixed places in rural areas by both government and nongovernmentagencies. In order to conduct eye camps and cataract operations, eye surgeons aswell as agencies are allotted areas. Camps, which provide cataract operation services, arefurnished with well-equipped Operation Theatres (OTs) and provide free spectacles after properfollow-up. Some of the other schemes include school eye screening (SES), in which schoolchildrenaged 5 to 15 years are examined for refractive errors and, if they have problems, areprovided with free spectacles.9 OTs, 9 eye wards, 90 eye beds, and 3 dark rooms were constructed under the auspices of theWorld Bank-aided Cataract Blindness Control Project. The project also provided districts withmoney for furnishings.The government of Uttaranchal plans to focus on the following.l Conducting community needs assessments to assess the districts’ needsl Examining the blind and registering them in Gram Blind Register Updatesl Organizing screening camps to examine refractive errors and providing treatment for allprimary and upper high school childrenl Ensuring that every PHC is provided with a dark rooml Introducing regular guidance and supervision by concerned authorities to improve servicesin rural areas.Table 1. Staff PositionsAt present, there is no government medical collegein Uttaranchal. This is a problem because there is ashortage of trained medical personnel. Of the 33sanctioned posts of eye surgeons, six are vacantand need to be filled. There are no eye surgeons inthe three new districts. Also, no eye surgeons areposted in the Community Health Centre (CHC) –PostEye SurgeonOphthalmic AssistantLower Division ClerkOT TechnicianStaff NursePharmacistSanctioned331094531In Position27864011Vacant623-520Camp Co-Coordinator 1 0 1each CHC should have an eye surgeon and be wellDriver 6 4 2equipped with OTs, eye wards, and so forth – or inClass IV Employee 11 9 2most government combined hospitals. However,17 eye surgeons have undergone intra-ocular lens(IOL) implantation training, three are in the processof taking the training, and the names of the rest of the eye surgeons have been given to the GoI.Five staff nurses have also been trained. Current training needs include a refresher course for allworking ophthalmic assistants, as demanded by the GoI.The DBCS is working to meet other needs as well. Since coordination from various sectors isrequired, the DBCS is trying to provide a forum for activity coordination among thegovernment, private, and voluntary sectors. In addition, every DBCS should have its ownvehicle so that proper transportation to facilities can be provided. Effective Information,Education, and Communication (IEC) activities and community participation and awarenessare also essential.59