GURUGRAM: Working relentlessly with a mission of providing ‘Quality Health Care to the Rural and Urban Poor, the social organization Niramaya Charitable Trust along with other associations organized ‘RUNATHON 2023’ on 3rd September (Sunday) at Leisure Valley Ground in Sector 29, Gurugram. As many as 2500 persons including students from 14 renowned schools participated in this event that was organized as part of the ongoing 38th National Eye Donation fortnight being observed from 25th August to 8th September 2023.
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Virendra Yadav, Dr. Virendra Sangwan, Dr. Hitendra Ahooja, Dr. TN Ahooja, Dr. Anu Ahooja, Dr. Neha Gandhi, Dr. Shraddha Yadav, Mrs. Madhu Azad, Dr. Anuj Garg, and B.R. Sikri flagged off the RUNATHON 2023. The event carried a very clear message for the participants – “i-Pledge” to instill a sense of responsibility towards those who needed help to see this beautiful world.
In its bid to eliminate corneal blindness in India, as per the directions of the Government of India and the Eye Bank Association of India, a fortnight is celebrated all over India in the form of Eye Donation Chetna Abhiyan. In this, various government, religious and social organizations together encourage school children and corporate world to donate eyes and inspire people in general to donate eyes.
In his address the social activist and noted pharmaceutical entrepreneur BR Sikri said that he was amazed at seeing such a huge scale of the event. He announced that support the initiative with strength and financially too from next year and would also indulge the Punjabi community and its apex organizations.
Other dignitaries present on the occasion included Subhash Yadav, Kishori Lal Dudeja, Rampal Ahuja, Dr. Virendra Yadav, Dr. Anuj Garg, Deputy C.M.O, P.K. Dutta, Kanhaiya Lal Arya, Aryaveer AVNC, SK Khullar Geeta Bhawan, Jagannath Ahuja, NK Ahuja, Anil Bimal Ophthalmologist Civil Hospital, Subhash Singla, Devendra Ahuja and others. names of schools
The participating schools included Dev Samaj Sr. Sec. School, Drona Public School, Arsh Vidya Mandir School, Indira Gandhi Senior Secondary Public School, Vishva Bharti Public School, Jiwan Jyoti Senior Secondary School, Lions Public School, Happy Model Senior Secondary School, M.M Public School, Greenwood Public School, Buddha International School, CCA School, Rotary Public School, and S.D Modern School.
In the run-up to the event day on Sunday, the NGO organized various programs to create awareness amongst the masses regarding Eye donation. Some of them included organizing poster competitions and talks in various schools, showing slides in various cinema halls, and pasting banners and posters at various public places across the city.
In his address, Dr. TN Ahooja, President, Niramaya Charitable Trust, said, “We are an NGO, with a mission to provide ‘Quality Healthcare to Rural and Urban Underprivileged.’ Among our founding members are doctors, engineers, management professionals, and officials of multinational companies. We are guided by a group of experienced professionals with a long track record of successful experiences in various fields, including health and others.”
He said, “Our Medical Director, Dr. Hitendra Ahooja, MS (Ophthalmology), Fellow – LVPEI Institute, Hyderabad, is one of the leading eye surgeons in Gurugram and its surrounding areas, serving the society for over five decades. Consequently, leveraging existing resources, we primarily focus on community eye care as our main activity.”
According to Dr. Hitendra Ahooja in India, approximately 2.1 million people suffer from corneal blindness. The current level of corneal donation is around 25,000 per annum. Simple arithmetic reveals that it is not possible to cover the entire waiting list within a waiting period of 100 years. Additionally, North India, especially Haryana, has lagged behind other regions in corneal donation.
“We have been running a campaign since then. It has led to a significant increase in awareness levels. Since then, we have successfully received 3354 eye donations. We have conducted approximately 1263 corneal donations in Gurugram. The remaining donations from Haryana and the rest of North India are being handled through collaborations with AIIMS Delhi and PGIMER, Rohtak (Haryana),” he added.
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