Hyderabad: Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha on Saturday, January 3 announced that the Telangana government will establish permanent eye care clinics across the state with Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital serving as the ‘central hub’.
Replying to questions during the Question Hour in the Legislative Council, the minister said the clinics will be developed in line with the recently launched Day Care Cancer Centres which provide services like cancer screening, diagnosis and chemotherapy and reduce the need for people to travel to Hyderabad.
The minister said that current lifestyle habits have increased cases of eye ailments arising a need for permanent round-the-clock services instead of short-term camps.
He said that the Kanti Velugu programme, conducted in 2018 and 2023, was limited to screenings and distribution of spectacles. He added that although 9.3 lakh people were identified as requiring eye surgeries, the programme concluded without the procudures being carried out.
The minister said that an ophthalmology expert has been appointed as a Nodal Officer to coordinate between the Hub and the clinics, and to oversee screenings and surgeries.
A high-level technical committee has also been constituted to study the prevalence of eye diseases in Telangana and to recommend sustainable treatment models. The minister said that a final policy and operational guidelines will be framed after the committee submits its report.
The minister added that the state continues to implement the National Blindness Control Programme which has been in operation since 1976.
Under the programme, a total of 6,12,973 cataract surgeries were performed in 2024 and 2025 combined. Additionally, 33,65,832 school students were screened during the same period and spectacles were distributed to 76,176 students.
