The Hyderabad based LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) has opened its 14th rural secondary eye care centre in Rayagada district of Odisha.

As part of its endeavour to provide high-quality and low-cost permanent eye care infrastructure in the under served rural areas of the country, LVPEI has added one more centre in Rayagada at Naraindas & Morbai Budhrani Eye Centre. The Rayagada centre marks the augmentation of LVPEI’s services in the state, which began in 2006 at Bhubaneshwar. The Rayagada Eye Centre is established at a cost of Rs. 4 crores and is located at Pitamahal on a 2-acre land obtained from the IDCO, Odisha, at a subsidised cost.

Particularly, the rural and tribal areas of Odisha are far from reach of advanced eye care institutions. In fact, even in general access to quality healthcare is a big concern in India, with rural and tribal pockets being the worst affected. Eye care in many parts of India is unavailable, inaccessible and unaffordable to the economically underprivileged, despite the fact that most eye related problems are avoidable and can be prevented, treated or managed.

In view of the above, LVPEI has partnered with Naraindas & Morbai Budhrani Eye Centre and the JK Centre for Tribal Eye Health (NMBEC & JKCTEH) in Rayagada to work in collaboration and serve the eye care of rural masses. With NMBEC & JKCTEH partnership LVPEI further aims to continue eye care research and eliminate avoidable blindness in the region.

“Our approach is multi pronged which includes preventive and diagnostic health camps, with partnership with LVPEI we will now able to provide latest eye care facilities,” comments H P Singhania, vice chairman and managing director of JKPL.

“Healthcare investment in resource-poor areas is important to provide quality eye care. LVPEI’s pyramid model of eye care demonstrates a comprehensive approach. Creating awareness and access to eye care services possible for the vulnerable and needy communities is our mission,” opined Dr Gullapalli N Rao, founder and chairperson, L V Prasad Eye Institute.

The LVPEI network currently includes a centre of excellence at Hyderabad, 3 tertiary centres in Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, 14 secondary and 121 primary care centres that cover the remotest rural areas in the four states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.