THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
KALINGANAGAR,
SEPTEMBER 30, 2026
Tata Steel Foundation
(TSF) organised a district-level coordination meeting here under its ‘Drishti’
project to strengthen eye-health services, improve early detection and ensure
timely access to affordable eye care in rural and underserved communities.
The meeting brought
together government officials and other stakeholders from Danagadi and Sukinda
blocks to deliberate on ways to improve screening, referral and follow-up
mechanisms for people suffering from eye-related ailments.
Discussions focused
on early identification of eye diseases, strengthening referral systems,
generating awareness among local communities and ensuring access to appropriate
treatment within the required time.
Participants also
stressed the importance of closer coordination among the health and education
sectors, frontline workers, government institutions and development partners to
improve delivery of eye-care services at the grassroots level.
The meeting was
attended by Jajpur District Public Health Officer Dr Pranatini Nayak, district
senior ophthalmologist Dr Snehashish Dixit, Danagadi Block Development Officer
Pradeep Kumar Sethi, representatives of the National Health Mission team in
Jajpur and Danagadi Community Health Centre, an eye-care team from Maruf
Hospital and officials of TSF's public health team in Kalinganagar.
The participants
highlighted the need for a coordinated approach to address eye-health
challenges faced by rural and vulnerable populations and emphasised
strengthening screening, referral and follow-up care so that patients can
receive appropriate treatment without delay.
Under the ‘Drishti’ initiative, TSF has been working with government agencies and local partners to promote eye-health awareness, screening and access to eye-care services in communities across the project area.
The initiative is aimed at supporting a more accessible and responsive eye-care system in the region through continued collaboration among various stakeholders.
