Bhubaneswar: Residents of remote villages in Mayurbhanj no longer had to travel long distances for specialised medical care as the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) brought world-class healthcare to their doorstep through the 12th edition of Operation DRISHTI.
The three-day mega multi-speciality medical camp, held in Rairangpur — the home region of President Droupadi Murmu — provided free and comprehensive treatment to more than 4,000 patients. Expanding beyond its traditional focus on eye care, the camp covered Ophthalmology, Cardiology, Nephrology, Dermatology, Dental, and General Medicine. Every patient was screened, investigated and treated on-site by Army medical personnel.
Cardiology specialists attended to over 400 patients, conducting 298 ECGs and 406 echocardiograms. They identified 29 individuals requiring advanced interventions such as valve surgeries and device implantations.
The Nephrology team performed 341 ultrasounds for more than 400 patients, while Dermatology, Dental and General Medicine departments together treated over 1,000 additional people. The Ophthalmology department remained the highlight, successfully performing 365 sight-restoring surgeries.
Among the beneficiaries was 75-year-old Biswanath, who had been struggling with a complex cataract caused by an old injury for two years. Routine surgery was considered too risky as his natural lens lacked support. The AFMS surgical team implanted a scleral-fixated intraocular lens, restoring his vision.
Similarly, 60-year-old Sombari Gope, suffering from a dense brown cataract in an unusually small eyeball, underwent a challenging procedure. Surgeons manually delivered a specialised 29.5-dioptre lens to protect her cornea and successfully restored her sight.
Despite the threat of a regional cyclone, the camp was executed smoothly. On November 4, Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja, Director General of Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS), visited the site. He interacted with recovering patients in the post-operative wards, distributed medicine kits and praised the medical and paramedical staff for their dedication under difficult weather conditions.
The initiative offered timely relief to a community that often faces significant barriers in accessing specialist healthcare.
