23/02/2023
Under the Ujjyalo, Disability Inclusive Universal Eye Health programme Siliguri Greater Lins Eye Hospital, in partnership with CBM, supported by Standard Chartered Bank in collaboration with Dept. Of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Sikkim inaugurated it’s 5th Primary Eye Care Centre in the State of Sikkim, at Rangpo, East Sikkim. This was the 5th Primary Eye care centre in Sikkim under the project Ujjyalo, a disability inclusive universal eye health programme dedicated to eradicate avoidable blindness from the state of Sikkim, with special focus on people living with disability and the elderly. The inauguration also marked a step further towards creating an eye care accessible space for people in the region so that a person vulnerable to acquire eye disease is intercepted early and brought to treatment before his/her condition deteriorate. The centre was inaugurated from the hands of Chief Guest Ms. Prabha Pradha Zilla Upadhyaksh, Pakyong District; Guest Of Honour Ms. Sunita Gautam, Chairperson RDD, Govt. Of Sikkim; Dr. Sangeeta Pradhan, ADHS, SPO, NPCB&VI, Govt. Of Sikkim; Shri Sanjeev Khati, Panchayat President, Rangpo Nagar Panchayat and Special Guest Shri Tashi Bhutia, Joint Secretary, WCDD; with Dr. M. B Chettri Joint Commissioner, Disability, Technical, Women & Child Development Dept. Govt. of Sikkim in presence of Trustees from Lions Club Of Siliguri Greater, and Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital. From the Club were present Hospital Chairman Lion Binayamrit Mundra, Past Chairman Lion P. L Kedia, Lion Rakesh Agarwal, with other guests from nearby areas. The programme was facilitated by Dr. Rajesh Saini, CEO Hospital, along with Programme Manager Dibyaraj Ghatani; Project Assistant Rojan Pradhan & Alina Sharma and other Vision Centre staff.
The centre aims to provide early access to quality eye care and prevent avoidable blindness probability in the region. The Vision Centre will be of great significance for people living in difficult to access hamlets reducing there times to travel far for basic eye care, reaching women, children and people with disabilities a their home through a robust Vision Centre led door-to-door screening mechanism. People identified with ailment in need of special care will the referred to STNM or the base hospital at Siliguri.
The centre is dedicated to intercept and provide affordable and accessible quality eye care to the people of Rangpo. The centre is strategically located at Pakyong District of East Sikkim, bordering Kalimpong district of West Bengal and is the first town of Sikkim lying on National Highway 10.
