Karnataka   

DPI project gives a ray of light to poor children

BIJAPUR: A majority of childhood blindness and the problem of poor vision starts before the age of five, when 75 per cent of learning is through sight. Poverty prevents parents from getting the child treated.

Realising this, the Department of Public Instruction came out with “school sight programme” (SSP) last year to help children who suffer from poor vision to get treatment.

The department has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dr. M.M. Joshi Eye Institute of Hubli for the programme. Bijapur is the second district in the region to launch this unique programme. Dharwad was the first district to get it.

As per the agreement, the hospital trains teachers every month on how to identify the affected children through a chart provided to them. The supervisors of the hospital visit the schools in the district to identify the children.

The details of the identified children are sent to the hospital and arrangements are made for treatment depending on the condition of the children. Free food and accommodation is provided to those who escort the children for treatment.

The department bears 50 per cent of the expenditure and the hospital bears the remaining 50 per cent of the cost.

Under the first survey conducted in December, 14 children in Bijapur city were identified and treated. The expenditure for the treatment, including the surgery, was Rs. 77,000.

In the second round, seven children were treated in March this year at a cost of Rs. 42,000.

In Bijapur rural area, 24 students had undergone treatment at the hospital at the cost of Rs. 1,58,000. In Chadchan taluk, 12 students were treated at a cost of Rs. 86,000 and 23 students of Indi taluk were treated at a cost of Rs. 1,40,000.

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