Bengaluru-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), India’s leading technology and innovation hub in the bio sciences, has announced a partnership with Govt of Karnataka’s Health and Family Welfare Department and ACT For Health, towards implementing a comprehensive eye care programme for Karnataka using innovative, indigenous health technology.

ACT, a venture philanthropy platform, is supporting this initiative through its healthcare vertical by providing funding of Rs 5.7 crore for 2024. The programme is expected to impact 8-9 lakh of the underserved population across 8 districts in Karnataka. It aligns with the Karnataka State vision care programme- Asha Kirana under National Health Mission’s National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) to implement ophthalmic devices that utilise digital solutions and cloud-based technology to eradicate preventable blindness in a wide age group from 5-80 years.

Additionally, this programme will support eye care for all public transport personnel through screening and eye checkups with provision of free spectacles for vision correction. 

The Programme was launched by Health Minister, Govt. of Karnataka, Dinesh Gundu Rao in the presence of Transport Minister, Ramalinga Reddy and C-CAMP Director-CEO, Dr Taslimarif Saiyed, along with Sandeep Singhal, Board Member, ACT Capital Foundation at Vikas Soudha, Bengaluru.

"Primary health centres, community health centres, taluk hospitals, and bus depots across the state are being equipped to conduct improved eye screening for refractive errors and retinopathies. Alongside these check-ups, free spectacles will be provided to the public, underscoring the Health Department's commitment to the well-being of all those serving the public including within the Transport Department. With the aim of eradicating blindness in Karnataka, over 1 crore individuals have already undergone eye checkups, with 39,000 benefiting from free cataract surgeries, and 2.45 lakh people benefiting from free spectacles under the Asha Kirana Programme”, said the Health Minister.