Establishing
an Eye Hospital in Gulburga, Need Assessment
Page
2 of 3
The eye care services are available in the state both in
government and private sectors. In government, the services
are mainly through district hospital and eye camps. Eye
camps are also being conducted by private agencies and NGOs.
There are 6 private hospitals but localized in district
headquarter. According to the service providers, the eye
care services in Gulburga district are mainly restricted
to cataract surgeries and refraction errors. No advanced
treatment is available in the district.
The
service providers perceive that 70% of the people avail
services from the government institutions. Accessibility
is a problem for those villages, which are situated far
from district hospitals or taluk hospitals. About 25-30%
who can afford to pay for services avail the treatment from
the private institutions. Some of them even prefer to go
to Sholapur or Hyderabad for availing eye care services.
Community
expressed very low satisfaction level from government services.
Private hospitals in the district are providing satisfactory
services for cataract surgeries and refractive errors.
All
the community members and almost all the service providers
agreed that there is a need to establish a specialized Eye
Hospital with all the facilities in Gulburga that may provide
quality eye care and treatment at a price affordable to
the community. The doctors were of the opinion that availability
of qualified opthmalogist, optometrist etc. is not a problem
in Gulburga town.
The
community has expressed its willingness to pay for consultation
Rs. 50 - 70 and Rs. 3000 - 5000 for cataract surgery.
Considering
the need of the community and its paying capacity, it is
suggested to establish one Secondary Eye Hospital in Gulburga
to cater to the needs of Gulburga district and also surrounding
districts like Bidar, Raichur, Bijapur, Bagalkot and Bellary.
