Netra Kumbh Eye Clinic covers 10 hectares in the tent city of the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Here Prof/Dr. D J Pandey performs free exams of over 250 patients daily for cataracts and other eye ailments. The clinic also gives referrals to a patient's regional hospital for free cataract surgery and lens implantation if surgical treatment is needed.
For more info: +91 9412254316 drdjpandey@gmail.com
S Rajagopalan managing director +91 99002 04322 srajagopalan@sensespharma.com
Netra Kumbh aims to screen 500,000 and provide free prescription glasses to 300,000 people during the 50 days of the festival. An additional 50k will be referred to facilities in their respective states for free surgical intervention. The clinic has a team of 500 optometrists and 100+ ophthalmologists.
Rx glasses (single Rx or bi-focal) are delivered to patients within 20 minutes. .
The value of free exams and glasses averages $22-$30 each.
The clinic is run as a charity, from government, companies and private sponsors Total cost: $3.5 million, plus donated equipment and time from various managers, doctors, and personnel.
These large-scale charity eye clinics began at the 2019 Kumbh Mela.
Hindu pilgrims come to dip in the water at the confluence of the Ganga (Ganges) and Yamuna Rivers for the Maha Kumbh Mela. This Hindu festival attracts an estimated 400 million people over six weeks when Jupiter, sun, and moon are aligned with particular constellations.
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