Lok Sabha Question No. 5645 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-07
Subject: Cataract Patients
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: HARISH DWIVEDI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5645 TO BE ANSWERED ON 7 th APRIL, 2017 CATARACT PATIENTS

## 5645. SHRI HARISH CHANDRA ALIAS HARISH DWIVEDI:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of Cataract patients in the country, State/UT - wise including Uttar Pradesh;
- (b) whether the Government has fixed any target for surgeries for Cataract patients;
- (c) if so, the details thereof, State/UT - wis ;
- (d) whether the Government has fixed any target to eradicate Cataract by 2022; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL )

(a): As per the National Survey 2006 - 07  conducted  under  the  National  Programme  for  Control  of Blindness (NPCB) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there were around 12 million bl persons (Visual Acuity<6/60) including blindness due to Catarac t in the Country. A statement showing estimated number of blind persons in the country, State/UT - wise, due to various eye diseases including Cataract is given at ANNEXURE -I.

(b) & (c): In the pattern of assistance approved by the Empowered Programme Co mmittee (EPC) in the  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare,  a  target  of  330  lakh  cataract  surgeries  with  an target 66 lakh cataract surgeries was fixed under NPCB during the 12 th Five Year Plan (2012 - 2017). A statement showing annual targets for ca taract surgeries, State/UT - wise, in the year 2016 - 17  is given at ANNEXURE -II.

(d) & (e): Cataract  is  mainly  an  age  related  diseases,  which  can  be  controlled  by  adopt appropriate  measures  and  surgical  procedures.  Due  to  increase  in  population  and  life expectancy,  the number of new cases of Cataract is likely to increase.

However, NPCB  in  the  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare  is  committed  to  reduce  the burden of avoidable blindness in the country including blindness due to cataract to 0.3% by t he year 2020 by adopting the following strategies:.

- Decentralized  implementation  of  NPCB  through  State/District  Health  Societies  for  cl monitoring and supervision;
- Reduction in  the  backlog  of  blind  persons  by  active  screening  of  population  above  50 years, organizing eye screening camps and transporting operable cases to fixed eye - care facilities for operation/treatment;
- Involvement of private practitioners in eye care services;
- In- service  training  to  eye surgeons in various fields of ophthalmology t o refresh and develop clinical and surgical skills including Cataract;
- Strengthening/developing  of  eye - care  infrastructure  at  various  levels  to  improve  quantity  an quality of eye - care services;
- Provision for setting up Multipurpose District Mobile ophtha lmic Uni s in District Hospitals to improve coverage area.

| ANNEXURE-I                               | ANNEXURE-I                               | ANNEXURE-I                                 | ANNEXURE-I                                    | ANNEXURE-I                                                      |
|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| Estimated Blind Persons in India-2006-07 | Estimated Blind Persons in India-2006-07 | Estimated Blind Persons in India-2006-07   | Estimated Blind Persons in India-2006-07      | Estimated Blind Persons in India-2006-07                        |
| S.No.                                    | State/Uts                                | Prevalence of Blindness (Survey 2001 - 02) | Estimated Blind Persons (Visual Acuity <6/60) | Estimated blind persons due cataract (62.6% of total blindness) |
| 1                                        | ANDAMAN & NICOBAR                        | 1.10                                       | 3919                                          | 2453                                                            |
| 2                                        | ANDHRA PRADESH                           | 1.42                                       | 1075331                                       | 673157                                                          |
| 3                                        | ARUNACHAL PRADESH                        | 2.28                                       | 24877                                         | 15573                                                           |
| 4                                        | ASSAM                                    | 3.05                                       | 812471                                        | 508607                                                          |
| 5                                        | BIHAR                                    | 0.78                                       | 646455                                        | 404681                                                          |
| 6                                        | CHANDIGARH                               | 1.01                                       | 9099                                          | 5696                                                            |
| 7                                        | CHHATI SGARH                             | 1.61                                       | 334815                                        | 209594                                                          |
| 8                                        | DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI                     | 1.07                                       | 2359                                          | 1477                                                            |
| 9                                        | DAMAN & DIU                              | 1.07                                       | 1691                                          | 1059                                                            |
| 10                                       | DELHI                                    | 1.13                                       | 155748                                        | 97498                                                           |
| 11                                       | GOA                                      | 1.52                                       | 20429                                         | 12788                                                           |
| 12                                       | GUJARAT                                  | 1.07                                       | 541388                                        | 338909                                                          |
| 13                                       | HARYANA                                  | 1.89                                       | 398468                                        | 249441                                                          |
| 14                                       | HIMACHAL PRADESH                         | 0.70                                       | 42541                                         | 26631                                                           |
| 15                                       | JAMMU & KASHMIR                          | 1.61                                       | 162126                                        | 101491                                                          |
| 16                                       | JHARKHAND                                | 1.41                                       | 379423                                        | 237519                                                          |
| 17                                       | KARNATAKA                                | 1.78                                       | 938664                                        | 587604                                                          |
| 18                                       | KERALA                                   | 0.56                                       | 178296                                        | 111613                                                          |
| 19                                       | LAKSHADWEEP                              | 1.10                                       | 667                                           | 417                                                             |
| 20                                       | MADHYA PRADESH                           | 1.16                                       | 700467                                        | 438493                                                          |
| 21                                       | MAHARASHTRA                              | 0.95                                       | 919146                                        | 575386                                                          |
| 22                                       | MANIPUR                                  | 1.38                                       | 32963                                         | 20635                                                           |
| 23                                       | MEGHALAYA                                | 0.74                                       | 17065                                         | 10683                                                           |
| 24                                       | MIZORAM                                  | 0.78                                       | 6950                                          | 4351                                                            |
| 25                                       | NAGALAND                                 | 1.05                                       | 20881                                         | 13071                                                           |
| 26                                       | ODISH A                                  | 1.40                                       | 513897                                        | 321699                                                          |
| 27                                       | PONDICHERRY                              | 0.78                                       | 7596                                          | 4755                                                            |
| 28                                       | PUNJAB                                   | 1.01                                       | 245322                                        | 153572                                                          |
| 29                                       | RAJASTHAN                                | 1.55                                       | 875333                                        | 547959                                                          |
| 30                                       | SIKKIM                                   | 0.65                                       | 3513                                          | 2199                                                            |
| 31                                       | TAMIL NADU                               | 0.78                                       | 484465                                        | 303275                                                          |
| 32                                       | TRIPURA                                  | 0.77                                       | 24572                                         |                                                                 |
| 33                                       | UTTAR PRADESH                            | 0.94                                       | 1560897                                       | 977121                                                          |
| 34                                       | UTT A RA KHAND                           | 0.56                                       | 47486                                         | 29726                                                           |
|                                          | TOTAL                                    | 1.10                                       | 12143952                                      | 7586732                                                         |

The number of cataract cases would be many times higher as this is the estimate of cataract cases in blind persons.

| ANNEXURE-II                            | ANNEXURE-II                            |
|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
| Target for Cataract surgery - 2016- 17 | Target for Cataract surgery - 2016- 17 |
| States/UTs                             | Cataract Operations                    |
| Major States                           | Target                                 |
| Bihar                                  | 421309                                 |
| Chhatisgarh                            | 168565                                 |
| Goa                                    | 9621                                   |
| Gujarat                                | 399632                                 |
| Haryana                                | 167330                                 |
| Himachal Pradesh                       | 27769                                  |
| Jammu & Kashmir                        | 82331                                  |
| Jharkhand                              | 217577                                 |
| Karnataka                              | 404563                                 |
| Kerala                                 | 136120                                 |
| Madhya Pradesh                         | 480244                                 |
| Maharashtra                            | 456011                                 |
| Orissa                                 | 276853                                 |
| Punjab                                 | 183948                                 |
| Rajasthan                              | 453999                                 |
| Tamilnadu                              | 293063                                 |
| Telangana                              | 231105                                 |
| Uttar Pradesh                          | 808305                                 |
| Uttarakhand                            | 40973                                  |
| West Bengal                            | 603995                                 |
| North Eastern States                   |                                        |
| Arunachal Pradesh                      | 9125                                   |
| Assam                                  | 205717                                 |
| Manipur                                | 17964                                  |
| Meghalaya                              | 12004                                  |
| Mizoram                                | 4419                                   |
| Nagaland                               | 13072                                  |
| Sikkim                                 | 2461                                   |
| Tripura                                | 14868                                  |
| UTs                                    |                                        |
| A &N Nicobar Islands                   | 2508                                   |
| Chandigarh                             | 6961                                   |
| D&N Haveli                             | 2263                                   |
| Daman & Diu                            | 1603                                   |
| Delhi                                  | 110571                                 |
| Lakshdeep                              | 425                                    |
| Pondicherry                            | 5040                                   |
| Grand Total                            | 6600000                                |