[New Delhi]Dr HarshVardhan To Maximize Governance In Health Ministry By Reviewing Implementation Of NPCB
Dr Harsh Vardhan, Also Fastens Belt To Review The Implementation of National Programme for Control of Blindness.[NPCB]He Has target to bring down the prevalence of blindness to 0.3 % by 2020 from the present level of 1% He has himself pledged his entire body
Following The Steps Of P M Narendra Modi ,Union Health Minister Dr Harshvardhan has Also decided to Maximize The Governance In His Ministry By Reviewing The Implementations Of Health Programmes .
The Minister, who was speaking at an event at Bangaloreyesterday to mark World Sight Day, which fell on October 9, remarked that he would ensure that the funds earmarked for NPCB for the 12th Plan period (2012-17) are utilised optimally and that he would raise the matter with the state governments.
NPCB was launched in 1976 as a 100 % Centrally- funded scheme with a goal to reduce the prevalence of blindness. However, the rate has not shown much appreciable difference even after 28 years, the Minister noted. The Rapid Survey on Avoidable Blindness conducted during 2006-07 showed a reduction in the prevalence of avoidable blindness from 1.1% in 2000 to 1 %in 2006. NPCB has now targeted to bring down the prevalence of blindness to 0.3 $ by 2020 from the present level of 1 $.
The Minister, who has himself pledged his entire body, said the government will be working with NGOs in promoting the concept of eye donation.
Dr Harsh Vardhan welcomed the launch of the “Vision Ambassador” scheme of The Project Vision, Bangalore. “This is a significant step towards greater coordination between the donor and the recipient. It is also a form of building up a social movement over eye pledging,” he remarked.
“The programme will be based on the work of volunteers who will be called “Vision Ambassadors”. They would act as the link between donors and eye banks which is missing at present. More than 10,000 people have already pledged their eyes with The Project Vision and 1,000 people have been declared “Vision Ambassadors.”
India has the largest burden of global blindness –about 3.5 million with 30,000 new cases being added each year. Only about 35,000 corneas are collected in the country each year whereas 150,000 are needed to combat corneal blindness.
Father George Kananthanam, Director, The Project Vision, urged the government to actively promote the cornea donation culture in educational institutions.
Dr Chandrasekhar Shetty, a noted ophthalmologist who has been associated with NPCB for two decades, Dr M. Mahabaleshwar of the Karnataka Ophthalmic Association, Dr N. Solanki of the Bangalore OphthalmicSociety and Mr V.S. Basavaraju of Dharitri NGO Alliance also spoke on the occasion.
The Health Minister received a book, “Lights Out”, from a visually challenged journalist, Mr L.Subramani, which tells the story of his own life. Dr Harsh Vardhan also honoured the leading “Vision Ambassadors” of the year –Soniamma, Subramanian Jayaram and Gurudev of Dordulapur.