Officials’ mission with a vision for tribals of Kolli Hills

“Very few health camps are held here but nothing on eye care,” said the District Programme Manager of the District Blindness Control Society (DBCS) P Ranganathan. The ophthalmologist said that as less than 50 people undergo cataract surgery in these hamlets, the DBCS had introduced the ‘Towards Tribal Population’ mission three months ago. 

“The cataract surgeries that were performed on nine persons last week were successful,” said Ranganathan. “My eye sight was failing in the last four months but today I see the world in a totally different light. May be, if I had not undergone the surgery at the eye camp last week I would have gone blind. 

I would have been forced to depend on my family for the rest of my life,” said C Thangamma (51), a Kolli hills tribal.  This daily wage farm labourer was one among the nine such tribals from the hill who underwent cataract surgery at the Namakkal District Government Hospital last week. A Vellaiyan (80) of Sothankutupatti, who grazes cows, said he realised that for the last  six months I could not see properly.” 

After undergoing surgery on his right eye his vision had improved very well. His left eye is affected by glaucoma and he will be operated upon for cataract three months later after the glaucoma is controlled with the help of medicines. 

Pointing out at a study, Dr Ranganathan said that annually 500 persons out of every 1 lakh population underwent cataract surgery. “But our study showed that of the nearly 50,000 people living in hamlets in the 14 panchayats at Kolli Hills less than 50 undergo cataract surgery. It was due to lack of awareness,” he said. 

“As part of the ‘Towards Tribal Population’ mission, the first screening camp was conducted at Semmedu on March 8. Of the 50 who participated in it, 10 were identified to undergo cataract surgery,” he said and recalled the difficulty in bringing them down to Namakkal for surgery. 

“It took nearly a month to convince two of them to come to the government hospital. Only on seeing them gain vision others gained confidence to come here and undergo surgery,” he said. 

Ninety-two persons participated in the screening camps that were conducted at Sengarai and Semmedu on June 22. Twenty-three of them were identified to undergo cataract surgery. Nine of them underwent surgery in the first phase and their bandages were removed on Monday. They will be discharged on Tuesday. 

“A week later our team will visit them at their homes and check whether their vision has improved,” he said. Dr Ranganathan said that they have set a target of performing cataract surgeries on 250 persons in a year, which is a five-fold jump. 

DBCS also organised a meeting for five NGOs and hospitals that organise free eye camps for the underprivileged. They asked them to include persons from hamlets at Kolli Hills in their free-treatment programmes.  

“With the support of these NGOs, the DBCS will also screen and treat the tribal population on diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, childhood refractive errors, childhood congenital defects and other eye related ailments,” he concluded.