© Provided by Hindustan Times PGI will soon start conducting eye surgeries at the Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC), Naraingarh, Ambala. (HT File)

The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) will soon start conducting ophthalmology (eye-related) surgeries at the Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC), Naraingarh, Ambala, the institute authorities said on Sunday.

As a part of the community health service, the department of community medicine and school of public health, PGIMER, provides comprehensive health care to a population of nearly 1,50,000, across the northern India — including in Chandigarh (Indira Colony, Sectors 25, 45, 49 and 50), Haryana (Raipur Rani and Barwala blocks of District Panchkula; Shahzadpur and Naraingarh areas of District Ambala) and Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab.

PGIMER has been running out-patient department (OPD) facilities for the patients at the Naraingarh hospital, especially from rural areas, in the general medicine and ophthalmology department.

Over 150 patients avail the facilities daily at the centre’s OPD, which runs from 9 am to 3 pm.

Speaking of the new move, PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal, said, “In the recent visit to the outreach centres where PGIMER is providing healthcare facilities to the people, we found a rush of people outside the rooms allotted to our institute at Naraingarh hospital. Over 50 patients come up for eye-checkups daily while they want PGIMER to start a facility for surgery.”

“For a long time, the file of getting equipment and machines, sought by the PGIMER to start Ophthalmology surgeries at Naraingarh hospital, was stuck at the health ministry of Haryana government. We immediately took up the matter with Haryana health minister Anil Vij, who assured us immediate intervention to start up the facility,” he added.

At first, facilities for simple surgeries for cataract will be made available and with more equipment, space and manpower, other surgeries will be introduced.

A faculty member each from the department of community medicine and school of public health and ophthalmology department currently runs the OPDs at the hospital, along with senior and junior resident doctors.

“PGIMER is trying to strengthen the facilities at all of our Rural Health Training Centers and satellite hospitals so that people from far-away places need not to travel to Chandigarh for availing the healthcare facilities being offered by our institute. This will save patients’ time, money and they will get emergency services near their houses,” Dr Lal said.

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