CATARACT SURGERY FROM CAMPS IN RURAL COMMUNITY ONLY WAY TO OVERCOME BACKLOG

 

ABSTRACT 

PURPOSE: To share concept of Out Patient Departmeent (OPD) conducted in rural area & to operate patient in institution after selecting from rural OPD.

METHODS: Our institution (Department of Ophthalmology, NIMS Medical College, Jaipur) with the help of NGO & community leaders conducts 2 camps per week in 150 km periphery of institution at 6 different places in PHC, school & community building with the help of regular visit of 1 Ophthalmologist, 2 Ophthalmic assistant &other supporting staff with vehicle.

RESULTS: Total of 1176 cases (45.98% males & 54.02% females) were selected after examination for cataract surgery & brought to institution. Female ratio was more as some male patients reached institution prior to camp. 7% patient had poor visual outcome due to surgical complications e.g., bullous keratopathy, posterior capsular opacification, uveitis etc.

CONCLUSIONS: A good number of cataract surgeries are conducted through rural OPD’s. Strategy needs improvement to reduce complications & to get better outcome.

KEYWORDS: Community, NGO, cataract blindness, national programme of control of blindness.

Opinions:

In India, proportion of people with cataract is concentrated in rural & underserved areas where public health services are not effective properly. So there is huge barrier in achieving the goal of India NPCB (National Program of Control of Blindness). It is similiar with the condition in Indonesia, where cataract prevalence is predicted higher than in big city because of lack cataract screening program and people awareness due to low level of education .

In India, reach out strategy was dropped because of facing problems & complications. Reach out strategy is establish cataract surgery in rural camp.  Now India NPCB is adapting and allowing on “Reach in” strategy in which OPD is conducted in remote areas and selected cataract cases are brought to established eye institutions where regular Eye OT runs. In this way patients get all necessary precautions & care like routine hospital patients. This concept is effective to achieve post surgery feasible result because the patient can get sufficient care for the surgery. Moreover, it can reduce the cost of conducting rural camp surgery.

From this program, the author report that involvement of local leaders is very mportant in order to get patients trust and confidence as well as succeed the program so that adequate outcome is obtained. To reduce complications and improve visual outcome, further improvement in services needed in form of accountability i.e., record the name the person doing every step in preoperative & operative procedure. So that while organizing program in Indonesia, involvement of local leaders is important.

Reference:

 R. B. Goyal, Karishma Sharma Goyal, Swati Tomar, Arjun Gupta. “Cataract Surgery from Camps in Rural Community only Way to Overcome Backlog”. Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences 2015; Vol. 4, Issue 63, August 06; Page: 10933-10936, DOI: 10.14260/jemds/2015/1579
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