Attribution: Mr. Rajat Goel, Co- Founder of Eye Q Super Speciality Hospital
In line with the government’s commitment to health, the announcement of extending Ayushman Bharat coverage to Anganwadi and Asha workers, and consolidating maternal and child healthcare schemes, marks a commendable step towards a more inclusive healthcare system. Notably, the allocation of a 1-lakh crore corpus with 50-year interest-free financing for R&D will encourage the tech-savvy youth, signalling a golden era of entrepreneurship. However, we note a missed opportunity in addressing the critical needs of the eye care industry. Taking into account the demands of eye care stakeholders would have contributed to approaching the World Health Organization’s goal of reducing blindness to 0.3% of the population, especially considering India’s current figure of 0.36%.
