Orbis, in partnership with Sitapur Eye Hospital (SEH), is embarking upon a joint initiative to address the issue of childhood blindness in 3 districts of Uttar Pradesh – Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Bahraich. The project seeks to address the prevalent issue of childhood blindness in India by enabling access to pediatric eye care services.
Orbis and Sitapur Eye Hospital Combat Childhood Blindness
In order to address the issue of childhood blindness in the three districts of Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Bahraich in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Orbis has partnered with Sitapur Eye Hospital (SEH).
Dr. Brigadier V.K. Baranwal
Chief Medical Officer, The Sitapur Eye Hospital Trust
“Our vision and partnership with Orbis will amplify the awareness and access to eye health services and support the eye health seeking behavior in the community”.
Over a period of three years the project will support 60 outreach camps, provide eye screenings for 200,000 children aged 0-18, perform 2,600 pediatric eye surgeries, and distribute 3,200 spectacles to visually impaired children in the districts. The project will enable access to families who cannot afford pediatric eye care, as well as those who lack access to quality care.
Dr (Col.) Madhu Bhadauria, Director
Regional Institute of Ophthalmology and Member, Board of Trustees, The Sitapur Eye Hospital Trust.
“This day marks the collaboration between Sitapur Eye Hospital and Orbis to strengthen provision of eye health services to children aged 0 – 18 years across the three districts of Uttar Pradesh, namely Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Bahraich. The aim of this project is to prevent and treat and children with various eye conditions to prevent childhood blindness. Besides strengthening the infrastructure and human resource capacities of the hospital, this project will also strengthen seven existing vision centers to become green vision centers by utilizing solar power, digitizing data management, and deploying e‑bikes for community outreach”.
The initiative is the second phase of a comprehensive project with an objective to develop infrastructure and strengthen the capacity of human resources at Sitapur Eye Hospital and its community networks to provide quality pediatric eye care services. The project is supported by the Lavelle Fund for the Blind.
Dr Doris Macharia
Senior Vice President, Global Programs, Orbis
The intervention will reach out to the communities and bridge the gap between out the communities and care through awareness, outreach camps, relevant medical interventions”.
To increase community knowledge and practices needed for the prevention and treatment of childhood blindness, the project will collaborate with a variety of stakeholders including community health workers, school administration, local administration, health departments, etc. to implement initiatives that will bolster awareness creation in the communities.
Dr Rishi Raj Borah
Country Director – India, Orbis
“The second phase of the initiative is testament to Orbis and Sitapur Eye Hospital’s holistic approach towards mitigating childhood blindness including quality management, infrastructure, capacity building, and community outreach,”
The initiative is part of Orbis flagship India Childhood Blindness Initiative (ICBI) aimed at ensuring that the children of the country have access to affordable, high-quality, and comprehensive pediatric eye care for generations to come.
