RAIPUR: An
11-year-old
boy, a resident of the tribal village Kenwati in Bhanupratapur in tribal Bastar region has been suffering from congenital cataracts and Nystagmus since birth. He now experiences the joy of sight after undergoing
eye surgery
conducted under the
National child health program
Chirayu scheme.
Chandrabhan Kadiyaam, the son of Harilal, resides in the interior tribal village of Pandripani.
Due to his vision problems, he could never attend school. His father, a farmer, used to visit private hospitals for his eye examinations but was refused surgeries as it was advised that they would not yield positive outcomes.
In May 2023, the family, with heavy hearts, attended the grievance redressal camp organized in the Bhanupratapur block with a request for a disability certificate for their son, unaware that it could be a life-changing moment.
Kanker district collector Priyanka Shukla, upon learning about the family's issue, intervened and directed a re-examination of the eyesight, suggesting surgery under the centrally led Chirayu scheme.
The health department promptly began screening Chandrabhan at the district hospital. Later, in the second week of May, the child was referred to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar Medical Hospital in Raipur, where surgery on the left eye was conducted. Following this, after three months in August, surgery on the right eye was performed, improving his vision by 90 percent.
After the surgery transformed his life, he was given a chance to pursue his basic education with the support of the education department.
Congenital cataract occurs when the lens of the eye is opaque instead of clear, making it hard to see. Nystagmus is a medical condition where eyeballs move rapidly, repetitively, and uncontrollably, according to Shukla.
Chirayu scheme is a health scheme that aims to provide free health screening to children up to 18 years of age.
English (US) ·