The pandemic has created havoc across the country. People are unable to receive even basic healthcare support. Healthcare is ignored because people refrain from visiting hospitals and clinics due to high exposure to infections. In addition to that, the division between the rich and the poor continues to increase, leaving a significant portion of the population without access to basic healthcare services, most of whom live either in rural India or urban slums. As part of our contribution to social enhancement, we have worked in 10 undeveloped villages in the North-East region of the country, supporting more than 150 residents with basic provisions for better health, hygiene and culture.

India is home to over 20 percent of the world’s blind population. Unfortunately, it is also home to the largest number of blind children in any one country. With extensive research, it was found that 75% of blindness cases can be avoided. This is due to the lack of resources or health services in rural areas.

While India needs about 50,000 optometrists, it has only about 12,000 of them, the majority of whom live and practice in urban areas. Blurry vision and increased glare from lights can result in cataract, which makes it difficult for one to perform day-to-day normal activities. Cataracts remain the largest cause of blindness worldwide. Cataracts may cause moderate or severe vision impairment, and can even lead to blindness. People may have a bilateral or unilateral cataract, so it is more useful to consider the number of eyes than the number of people who require surgery. Due to lack of awareness, rural populations are hesitant of Cataract surgeries. Moreover, they don’t have suitable facilities or professionals in their villages to perform it.

Serve Samman tries to reach such underprivileged areas and organise free eyecare camps and create awareness. The aim behind this is to provide free spectacles, medication, eye kits and advice to those in need. Visiting patients at the camp are provided proper guidance on hygiene, deworming, healthy nutrition, sanitization, precautions on covid and benefits of vaccination. In case any patient requires advance care or cataract surgeries, suitable guidance and referral are made. People identified with cataract are taken to ICARE hospital, Noida, where free cataract surgeries are done. To ensure complete treatment of the patient we offer free pick-up and drop service as well as free stay and meals during the surgery.