ROTARY clubs 5,000 miles apart are working together to raise funds for a new mobile eye clinic in India, thanks to a Redditch scheme.
The town’s Rotarians are appealing for funding support for the £60,000 mobile health project, the first of its kind in Bhubaneswar in Odisha.
The appeal has been launched following a visit to the Odisha capital city by last year’s Redditch Rotary President Dr Bichitra Das, earlier this year.
Dr Das said: “There are a few private hospitals and eye camps but they are not doing diagnostic screening.
“This mobile unit will be targeting people in the community who do not come to these hospitals, such as the poorer areas and even schoolchildren.
“Instead, people are going to other hospitals which are swamped with really long waiting times.
“And there is no wide network of opticians like there is here where problems are picked up during routine appointments so it will definitely help identify eye problems for many people which would otherwise be missed.”
Dr Das added the other hospitals were doing a good job treating patients but they did not have the dedicated screening services.
“A lot of eye conditions aren’t picked up because there are no symptoms in the early stages so we want to detect some of these problems early on and encourage people to attend eye hospitals,” he said.
Both Redditch and Bhubaneswar Rotary Clubs have raised £8,000 towards the mobile clinic, it can then be match-funded by the Heart of England Rotary District 1060 and the difference will be made up by Rotary International.
Current Redditch Rotary Club president Mike Luck said: “This type of mobile facility has already proved to be successful in reducing sight loss thanks to similar projects by other Rotary Club joint ventures.
“We have made good progress towards our target, but we’re going through a tough time with member numbers significantly down due to illness which inevitably impacts on our ability to organise fund-raising events.
“Any help we can get from fellow clubs to get this project over the line would be most gratefully accepted.”
Visit justgiving.com/campaign/indiasightsaver to donate.
