The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : 24 lakh students screened

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Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

24 lakh students screened

Special Correspondent

For eye ailments under State government scheme

— PHOTO: R.RAGU

Deputy Chief Minister M.K.Stalin inaugurates the Dr. Agarwal’s Retina Foundation building in Chennai on Tuesday. Amar Agarwal, Managing Director and Athiya Agarwal, Director of Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital are in the picture.

CHENNAI: The State government in the last five months spent Rs.5.35 crore on the school students eye care scheme under which spectacles are provided to the children, Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said here on Tuesday.

Under the scheme, launched on Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s birthday on June 3 this year, 24 lakh students of classes 6, 7, and 8, in government and government-aided schools across the State had been screened and spectacles were provided where necessary.

Mr.Stalin was speaking at a function organised to inaugurate the new building that would house Dr. Agarwal’s Retina Foundation.

Praising Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital for its service, he recalled that in 1990 at an international eye conference in Singapore, the hospital was recognised among the well-known hospitals in the world.

State-of-the-art equipment

Managing Director of the hospital Amar Agarwal said the new facility in Gopalapuram would house state-of-the-art equipment to test for retinal problems.

The hospital had 150 doctors and conducted retina outreach clinics in Villupuram, Vellore, Kumbakonam and Hosur. Of the 150 surgeries conducted at the hospital every day, 50 were performed free of charge, he said.

Athiya Agarwal, one of the directors of the hospital spoke on the problems caused to the retina by diabetes.

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