The Vice President of India M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated additional advanced facilities at Shankar Netra Chikitsalaya in Vijayawada on Friday.
While speaking at the inauguration, Naidu said that a healthy nation can become a wealthy nation but there is no guarantee that a wealthy nation can become a healthy nation.
Naidu said that screening of the people to identify defects in eyesight is essential. He highlighted the importance of involvement between private and public sector, saying that government health institutions and private bodies must join hands to undertake such screening programmes.
Public-private partnership has scope to create medical infrastructure in the country. There is a need to take Healthcare to rural and remote ares of the country, added Naidu.
While urging people to take proper care of the eyes through periodic checkups, Naidu said that regular checkups are essential as any defect in the eyesight will impact the individual in performing daily tasks be it at office or home.
Not having adequate number of ophthalmologists is a challenge for the country. We need to increase eye care facilities to treat problems like cataract, glaucoma and refractive errors that can be prevented if diagnosed and treated early, said Naidu.