The Road Ahead for Vision Care Professionals of India

Many of us in the Vision Care Profession aware about the initiative taken by Vision 2020: 'The Right to Sight' India in forming an independent Council for Vision Care Professionals in the country through a Steering committee comprising members from different cadres. I think 2 or 3 times this committee was convened and discussed under the banner of Vision 2020 India.
 
A draft proposal of the council was prepared and discussed in these meetings as well as outside among our colleagues for strengthening the draft proposal. After repeated discussions and deliberations both Optometrist and Ophthalmic Assistants Association have accepted to form 'Vision Council of India' (VCI). Members of Optometrists and Ophthalmic Assistants can be incorporated in to this council in a separate classification (sub clause).
 
In our country there are independent councils for nurses, doctors, dentists and pharmacists and are very well organized. But for the Vision Care Professionals (who are responsible for the primary eye care and are considered as the back bone of the Blindness Control Program) we do not have such independent council to steer our fellow members at the moment.

I, wonder why so much of delay in establishing a council. Indeed it is a BIG question which does not have an answer. In the army a cadre without a commander is almost useless and we need a proper regulatory council which can act as a supreme body in order to bring all of us in to one fold. In the absence of such scenario the only sufferer is our rural poor people and they will suffer a lot by irreparable visual loss if we do not act now together.

Time is running out for all of us. Let’s take a pledge to resolve this issue in 2010.

Some of our colleagues also felt the need for merging these two cadres ie Optometrist and Ophthalmic Assistant into a single band. As elsewhere mentioned in this blog in Indian context there is a need for these two different categories is essential in the interest of our rural poor people. The Government of India is also very clear about this from the beginning. Hence there is no need for an amalgamation of these two cadres. Regarding the job description there need not be any significant change at the moment.
 
The Road ahead for us is to let everyone strive for the earliest formation of Vision Council of India in order to achieve the goals of Vision 2020: 'The Right to Sight' initiative.

Together we will achieve this mission very soon. 

Let make Vision Council of India a reality!

During the Silver Jubilee celebration of the ‘School of Optometry', Chennai in the year 1988 , the founder of the school (Late) Dr.T.T.Ramalingam emphasized the need for an higher education in Optometry and the need for an independent practice for the Optometric profession.

In the year 1989 during the 22nd All India Optometric Conference held in Chennai the then Honorable Health Minister had assured to legalize the Optometric profession as an independent one in the interest of Public Health.

Again in 1993 on the occasion of 25th Conference of Indian Optometric Association held in Chennai (Late) Dr.E.Vaithilingam an eminent Optometrist and the then President of IOA appealed the State and Central Government to regulate the Optometric practice by legalization.

Mr. Pardeep Bharti who was instrumental in the formation of National Ophthalmic Association and the first General Secretary of the Association insisted the Government of India many times for the formation of an Independent Council for Vision Care Professionals in the line of Nursing, Dental & the Pharmacy in order to deliver effective Eye Care System throughout the country and also to save the rural people becoming blind unnecessarily due to ignorance.

Besides various organizations across the country voiced their opinion during various occasions for the Council related issues. In subsequent meetings with Central Health Ministry by the Representative of the NOA, the Government of India assured to take initiative to form a council for the Vision Care Professionals.

Recently the “Vision 2020 -The Right to Sight” India also taken active efforts for the formation of an independent Council and later it was suggested by our fellow professionals as 'Vision Council of India' in order to bring all the Vision Care Professionals in to one umbrella .

But even after so many years neither our predecessors nor our fellow professionals have failed to take up the cause of forming an independent Council. Always we say that India is a pioneer in Blindness Control Programme and paving the way for many Developing Countries in implementing better Eye Health Care delivery system. This vision cannot be achieved without the involvement of Vision Care Professionals at the micro and macro level since they are one of the important stake holders in the whole process.

There should be an uniformity in thinking among our fellow professionals as the need of the hour is: we need to regroup our self into one fold i.e Vision Council of India which can play an important role in effective eye health care delivery system at all level.

Is there any second opinion to this thought among our fellow professionals?