Union communications and IT minister Dayanidhi Maran has recently inaugurated the ''Tele-Ophthalmology Rural Outreach Services (TOROS), an experiment to reach the state-of-the-art ophthalmic care to the rural inhabitants. The remote eye-care facility is piloted by the Chennai-based Eye Research Centre.
TOROS facility will be provided by a bus, equipped with high-tech ophthalmic equipment, to any patient living in those areas, providing access to the latest ophthalmic care just like the person living in a metropolis. By connecting remotely using networks to the base hospiltal in the city, the opthalmologist at the remote hub can provide expert medical treatment to the patient.
TOROS facility, emulated by the President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, is expected to cater a large number of unattended eye-patients in India. Dr J Agarwal, the Chairman of the Eye Research Centre, pointed out that there are now 12 million blind in the country and every year 30,000 more are being added.
Source: Yahoo News Service.
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