Kanti Velugu: Second phase to be launched on Jan 18

A detailed schedule, protocols, framework and guidelines for the camps will be worked out in the next few days.

Hyderabad: The second phase of State government’s flagship Kanti Velugu initiative, to be launched on January 18, will feature mass eye screening camps in all the villages, Gram Panchayats and Municipal wards.

Preparatory meetings for the eye camps between multiple stakeholders at the micro-level, which will be led by public representatives, will conclude by January 12. A detailed schedule, protocols, framework and guidelines for the camps will be worked out in the next few days.

On Tuesday, Health Minister, T Harish Rao, in a review meeting with Ministers G Jagadish Reddy, T. Srinivas Yadav and Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Chief Secretary, Somesh Kumar, Health Secretary, S A M Rizvi, senior health officials along with MLCs and MLAs from districts, said the second phase of Kanti Velugu was being planned on a larger scale.

While the first phase was conducted for eight months by 827 health teams, the second phase will be conducted for 100 working days with 1500 medical teams. The Kanti Velugu camps will be held between 9 am and 4 pm and each camp will be led by a Medical Officer while eight other healthcare workers including one optometrist, two ANMs, three ASHA workers and 1 DEO will be manning the counters.

Of the 55 lakh free spectacles to be distributed, 30 lakh will be reading glasses and 25 lakh will be prescription glasses. Attempts were on to ensure that ready-to-use spectacles were sent to the districts before the start of the camps. Specific prescription glasses, however, will be delivered in a month.

Apart from 850 Auto Refractor (AR) machines, 1500 torches and 1800 distance vision charts will be deployed. There would be no shortage of healthcare workers and nearly 1500 optometrists, 1500 data entry operators and 969 PHCs doctors will be available for the second phase of Kanti Velugu.