Raksha Mantri and Chief of Army Staff render special address from New Delhi
Diplomat Correspondent
Udhampur:DD, A first of its kind, four-day Mega eye camp-Op Drishti, organised by Command Hospital, Northern Command, Udhampur conducted in collaboration with the surgical team from Army Hospital Research and Referral, New Delhi under the aegis of HQ Northern Command and Armed Forces Medical Services concluded with a grand closing ceremony held at Udhampur graced by Manoj Sinha, LG of J&K.
Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, GOC-in-C Northern Command welcomed the Hon’ble LG and other dignitaries present.
Raksha Mantri, Rajnath Singh, addressed the closing ceremony virtually and appreciated the efforts of Northern Command and Armed Forces Medical Services for providing emergency medical care as and when required and excellent eye care services to people of J&K.
The Chief of Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, also virtually addressed the gathering congratulating the Armed Forces Medical Services and Northern Command for this unique endeavour
The camp exceeded expectations, with screening of more than 2000 persons with over 400 surgeries being performed on people who came from far flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir, including remote villages in Udhampur, Doda, Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar, Ramban etc.
The surgical team consisted of highly skilled and experienced ophthalmologists led by Brigadier SK Mishra, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, a distinguished ophthalmic surgeon and Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Army Hospital Research and Referral, New Delhi, who has the distinction of performing surgery on two Presidents of India.
The team along with the surgical team of Command Hospital, Northern Command, Udhampur conducted screening and surgeries with advanced equipment and application of high-quality intraocular lenses.
The equipment used was the best of its class in the world as informed by Brig SK Mishra.
Besides cataract, the team screened and treated patients with glaucoma and retina diseases.
Patients from remote areas, who often face challenges accessing quality medical facilities availed highest quality of eye care services.
Inspired by the vision of Manoj Sinha, LG of J&K and duly endorsed by the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, with further guidance provided by the Chief of Army Staff, Gen Upendra Dwivedi, the Army Commander Northem Command Lt Gen Pratik Sharma and his team along with the Command Hospital, Udhampur planned and executed the entire camp in mission mode despite their operational commitments.
It is a matter of pride that the team and equipment was specially flown in by a special Indian Air Force Aircraft from New Delhi showcasing inter service integration.
The beneficiaries of the camp conveyed their heartfelt gratitude to the Army and the Indian Army reciprocated the sentiment as a token of gratitude for the people who whole-heartedly supported the Army during Op Sindoor
In the closing ceremony, held at Udhampur, Lt Gen Pratik Sharma, GOC-in-C Northern Command welcomed the LG and other dignitaries present and thanked the Ministry of Defence, Local Administration and Army Headquarters for their extensive support.
Manoj Sinha, LG, J&K lauded the efforts and expressed satisfaction on the excellent endeavours of the Armed Forces in this region.
He distributed eye glasses to the beneficiaries of the eye camp and felicitated the Surgical Team from Army Hospital Research and Referral New Delhi.
Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) addressed the gathering and emphasised that cataract is the leading cause of blindness and this camp is a step towards mitigation of the same.
She assured that the organisation is committed to providing quality health care to all beneficiaries in the most remote areas.
She expressed her gratitude to the Raksha Mantri and COAS for their patronage.
The closing ceremony was also attended by Lt Gen CG Muralidharan, DGMS(Army) and an educational handbook on quality eye care was also released on the occasion.
The event was also attended by other senior officials from the Indian Army and the state government, who lauded the efforts of the medical team and their support staff for their dedication and hard work.
Maj Gen S Sharma, Commandant, Command Hospital, Northern Command, delivered the vote of thanks and expressed his gratitude to the support provided by the government agencies.
Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical services, the Army Headquarters and Headquarters Northern Command for the successful conduct of Op Drishti, the mega eye camp
The event was followed by an interaction of the LG with the beneficiaries of the eye camp.DD
