70L schoolchildren to be covered under Kanti Velugu programme

Amaravati: At least 70 lakh schoolchildren will be covered under the State government's Kanti Velugu programme which is aimed at eye screening and performing surgeries if needed. The government is planning eye screeningfor entire population in the State, irrespective of their financial position. In the first phase, the students will be covered.The programme will commence after Dasara holidays.

Principal Secretary of Medical Health and Family Welfare Department K S Jawahar Reddy said the Kanti Velugu programme would be conducted in two stages and 6 phases across the State.

Speaking to The Hans India, Jawahar Reddy said in the first stage the children in the schools from first standard to tenth standard would be covered. The eye screening tests would commence from October 10 and continue across the State for five to seven days.

During this phase, the government would complete a quick screening. In the second phase, there would be a detailed screening from November 1 onwards. The entire exercise would be completed by the end of the year, he said.

He further added that the government has been taking the help from the private institutions like LV Prasad Eye Hospitals, Sankara Eye Hospitals and others to successfully complete the programme.

Jawahar Reddy also said the government has made preparations to provide spectacles and even perform the surgeries, based on the requirement in the final screening. It is estimated that after completing the screening of five crore population of the State, at least 10 lakh surgeries may be required.

Out of them, at least one lakh to three lakh children aged below 15 may undergo the

surgeries. Yet, these are just rough estimations and the detailed requirement of the surgeries and spectacles would be known only after completing the quick screening in the first phase, Principal Secretary pointed out.

He further said the spectacles wouldbe distributed to the patients in the very short span of time, after knowing the problem. On the other hand, for the surgeries, it would take some time.

The government has been planning to ensure surgeries are completed in a couple of years because, surgeries need to lot of human resources and capital. Giving all the details, Jawahar Reddy expressed confidence that the Kanti Velugu programme would be completed successfully by addressing hundred percent vision defects in the State.

He also said that the State government has been contemplating conducting screening for diseases like diabetes, hypertension, oral cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancers. This programme willbe launched in the next year.