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Decentralisation of grants to NGOs for blindness control programmes
Oct 13, 2005, 15:17, Reviewed by: Dr.
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The Government will continue to support all its hospitals as well as the voluntary organisations for developing the eye-care infrastructure, so that modern methods of treatment reach the poor and the needy, Dr Ramadoss said.
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By Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India,
The Indian Government today announced decentralisation of grants being given to Non-Governmental Organisations(NGOs) for blindness control programmes. In fact, the power to provide grants to NGOs working in the field of ophthalmology has been passed on to the States under the �National Programme for Control of Blindness�. This was announced by the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on the occasion of World Sight Day-2005. Since the States are closer to the voluntary organisations working in the field, they can spot the genuine and dedicated NGOs to join hands and achieve the goals of the national blindness control programme. Necessary funds for this will be released by the Centre to the State Governments for further assistance to the selected NGOs, as per the revised pattern of financial support. The Government will continue to support all its hospitals as well as the voluntary organisations for developing the eye-care infrastructure, so that modern methods of treatment reach the poor and the needy, Dr Ramadoss said.
In a message, he also said that the Government and the NGOs have jointly prepared a blue print on Vision 2020 for India. This is the right time to execute the plan of action by all concerned to achieve the aim. However, for a country like India, simple community based projects are required in every nook and corner of the country, to build infrastructure for providing better eye-care services. Since this would require a large base, the Government had already decentralised the implementation of the programme constituting State and District Blindness Control Societies throughout the country. Let us make eye-care services a perfect example of community driven programme with a practical public-private partnership, he said.
Later, addressing a function in Hyderabad this afternoon to mark the World Sight Day-2005, Dr Ramadoss said, that during the year 2004-05, nearly 45 lakh cataract surgeries were performed in the country, out of which 88% were intra-ocular lens implantation. This indicates the success of the national programme for the control of blindness and by the year 2020, the prevalence of blindness would be reduced to 0.3%, he said. By 2007, it is proposed to reduce its prevalence to 0.8%. As per a survey in 2001-02, the prevalence of blindness in the country was estimated at 1.1% of the population. He said, the Government is equally concerned about the visual impairment and blindness especially among the children and the youth. He appealed to all the State Governments to lay special emphasis on the prevention and treatment of child blindness. Involvement of Panchayat in such programmes would be highly useful, he said, citing the example of the campaign to eradicate Polio. 
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India
mohfw.nic.in
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