Pics: Kevin Rodrigues
Media release
Manipal, Aug 28: KMC Hospital, Manipal, District Health Society-Blindness Control Division, Udupi district and Sight Life International jointly organised a ‘Walkathon on eve of Eye Donation Fortnight’ on Wednesday August 28.
The walkathon was jointly flagged off by Dr Poornima Baliga B, pro-vice chancellor MAHE, Manipal, Manjunath, circle inspector, Udupi, Geetha Maiya, director student affairs MAHE.
The walkathon started from Kalsanka and ended at Board High School. The main theme of the programme is ‘Light up a Life, Donate your eyes’. An eye donation awareness street play was also staged by students of Manipal College PF Nursing. About 250 doctors, nurses, students and staff members participated in the event.
The National Eye Donation Fortnight is celebrated every year from August 25 to September 8 under the National Programme for Control of Blindness. The campaign to create awareness was held successfully as the message went out to the people to donate eyes or pledge the eyes for those with corneal blindness.
According to a report, one of every five blind people of the world is from India. That means at least 46 lacs of Indians are suffering from the corneal blindness whereas, the rate of eye donation is only 35,000 which is too little in numbers. So it has become very necessary to educate the people of the society including young and old to finish the gap between demand and supply of the cornea.
C G Muthana, COO, Dr Avinash Shetty, medical superintendent, Dr Padmaraj Hegde, deputy medical superintendent Dr Sulatha Bhandary, professor, and head -department of ophthalmology Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, Dr Surendra Chimbalkar, district leprosy officer and other dignitaries were present.