Srinagar, September 26: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has lauded the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) for conducting a major eye surgery camp in the remote Karnah region of Kupwara, where 220 people underwent sight-restoring procedures under Operation Drishti.
The two-day mega eye surgical camp was held on September 24 and 25 at an underground operation theatre in Tangdhar, a shelling-prone area along the Line of Control. Most of the procedures were cataract surgeries, while selected patients also received retinal and minimally invasive glaucoma procedures.
The camp was led by Brigadier Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Head of Ophthalmology at Army Hospital (Research & Referral), Delhi Cantonment. His team transported advanced ophthalmic equipment across difficult mountainous terrain to provide specialised treatment to residents of the border region.
LG Manoj Sinha praised the Armed Forces Medical Services for taking advanced healthcare facilities to remote border communities. In a post on X, he highlighted the significance of providing specialised eye care in an underground facility in the border area and linked the initiative with the spirit of Operation Sadbhavana.
Patients from Khawarpora, Tangdhar, Tadd, Bagbela, Yangdar and neighbouring hamlets were screened before the camp, with the Indian Army facilitating their movement and post-operative care. Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth and DG AFMS Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja also visited the camp and interacted with patients and medical personnel.
The Tangdhar camp was the 10th mega eye surgical camp conducted under the AFMS initiative. The Defence Ministry said that the programme has so far screened more than 1.5 lakh patients and conducted over 3,500 surgeries across 10 cities. The next camp is scheduled in Srinagar from September 27 to 29.
