Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar on Sunday stressed the need for knowledge transfer in healthcare to reach out to people in tier-II cities and villages.
Speaking at the inauguration of the 8th edition of Reticon, a conference on retina surgery organised by Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospitals, he said this technology transfer would contribute to the development of individuals, the economy, industry and the nation. With the implementation of several schemes, Tamil Nadu, a leader in healthcare services, is striving to set newer benchmarks in the area. Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan said though the State has the second oldest eye hospital in the world, it has always been conscious of the fact that an effective public-private partnership is necessary.
Ambitious goal
The State’s goal has been to bring down the level of blindness from 1.4% to 0.3%. An emerging challenge is glaucoma and thrust is being given to that, he said.
Amar Agarwal, Chairman, Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospitals, said over 1,400 delegates were participating in Reticon to know about latest innovations. He explained about two new techniques developed by the hospital for the treatment of diseases of the retina. Jerzy Nawrocki, inventor of the inverted flap of ILM for macular hole surgery, also spoke. Surgeries, including macular hole surgery, diabetic retinopathy and IOL drop were live streamed at the event.
