Most citizens of Bihar live below the poverty line. The lack of infrastructure and investment in the state has contributed to an environment which makes economic progress and quality medical care almost impossible. The Bhansali Trust Eye Camp brings a sense of hope to the people of Bodh Gaya, and the city comes together to support the ten day event.
While in Bodh Gaya, India I had the opportunity to share the remarkable stories of the doctors and patients of the Bhansali Trust Eye Camp: a bi-yearly event organized and funded by the Trust. The Eye Camp has provided free treatment and surgeries to patients from all over India since 1984.
Most citizens of Bihar live below the poverty line. The lack of infrastructure and investment in the state has contributed to an environment which makes economic progress and quality medical care almost impossible. The Bhansali Trust Eye Camp brings a sense of hope to the people of Bodh Gaya, and the city comes together to support the ten day event.
Surgeons from around the country and Europe volunteer their time, performing surgeries that range from five minutes to more complicated procedures lasting several hours. In addition to the surgeons and medical staff, the backbone of this massive effort is the cadre of 500 local high school students working as volunteers to keep the whole system running smoothly. The Eye Camp processes over 10,000 eye surgeries in under two weeks in an amazing display of teamwork, efficiency, and compassion.
The patients arrive by bus, having been pre-screened in their home villages. They greet each other with excitement and a shared feeling of awe and gratitude for the free medical care. After a day’s rest from the long bus journey, each patient is re-examined by volunteer ophthalmologists.
Once the patients are registered and re-assessed, a computer generated card is produced listing conditions and appropriate surgery.
They are prepped for surgery and wait in long dormitories for their turn in the operating theaters, in this case, rooms prepared with surgical equipment, lighting, and multiple beds to accommodate the large number of patients and surgeons.
After each patient’s surgery, they rest for a day before going through post-op assessments and released back to their families to travel home. Below is a group of women awaiting their post-op inspection and release. A group this size will be processed in less than 30 minutes, then the next group will arrive. The math is astounding!
Due to the sheer volume of patients in need, they are gathered in a recovery room lying shoulder to shoulder on the cots. Bandages are removed and ophthalmologists check each patient.
Each patient often arrives with several family members and they gather to share their stories of the trip and their home village. At any given time there are 3,000 patients on the grounds of the pop-up hospital accompanied by 1-3 family members who traveled with them. Each participant and their family is given three meals a day. Each meal shift includes serves up to 9,000 individuals and requires several hundred pounds of rice but no one is left out, due to the tireless efforts of the Trust and the volunteers.
Once released by the ophthalmologists, each patient is given several day’s ration of food, medicine, in some instances new clothes, and a schedule describing when teams of nurses would return to their village to provide follow-up examinations. And the annual process begins again.
All this happens in a part of the world where, historically, the healthcare infrastructure has been broken. Yet, enough people with the means to make a difference have come together to accomplish the impossible.
The trust provides the financial backing to meet the great need of medical treatment in under served areas. The Eye Camp is a testament to the good work that can happen when a need is identified, and resources are allocated to bring about a solution. Working alongside the Bhansali Trust, the volunteer doctors, nurses, and students make the impossible possible for thousands in need.
Click here to learn more about the Bhansali Trust and to donate to the Eye Camp.
