Eye care by Kalinga Eye Hospital and Research Centre

Kalinga Eye Hospital and Research Center (KEHandRC) a unit of NYSASDRI is based in Dhenkanal district of Orissa, India. Beginning with small time eye camps, way back in the year 1988 the need of the locality propelled NYSASDRI to undertake sustained effort to provide preventive, curative, promotive, rehabilitative and referral services through need based approaches for early prevention, detection, diagnosis and control of eye disorders. NYSASDRI eye hospital which was situated in remotest areas of Dhenkanal till 1992 came out as an institution - Kalinga Eye Hospital and Research Centre in the year 2002 with a mission to ensure basic eye care services to the rural poor and shifted to Dhenkanal town. Between the years, 1996-2002 it offered institution based eye care service deviating from the traditional out reach activities.

Currently the hospital has been rendering services to the areas of Jajpur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara as well as Angul districts. The hospital provides both free services through its outreach screening programs and paid services in the base hospital. The team of KEHRC organizes health camps in rural villages in the operational area having a tie up with District administrations. From the camp those with complaints of low vision are screened out for operation after preliminary examination and are shifted to KEHRC. After the cataract surgery at KEHRC the patients are again driven back to their respective villages. The hospital bears the transportation, food as well as lodging costs of these patients. Apart from this it organizes sub specialties surgeries as such pediatric surgeries, surgeries for leprosy patients. It also brings children, doctors, pediatrician, paramedical staffs, ICDS workers, teachers, and community leaders on primary eye care and detection of visual impaired persons and they refer them to KEHRC. It organizes school screening for children and supports them with free operation and glasses.