Standard Chartered Bank India to open 200 vision centres

Standard Chartered Bank India on the occasion of World Sight Day announced the opening of 200 vision centres over the next two years.

These centres, which will offer eye care services, will be set up with leading partners operating in this segment, across eight states under the 'Seeing is Believing by Standard Chartered' initiative, it said in a release on Thursday.

In the first batch, 90 vision centres including 14 futuristic vision centres, will be launched by December-end in partnership with L V Prasad, CBM India, Sightsavers India, Dr Shroff’s Charitable Eye Hospital, Sewa Sadan Eye Hospital, Mission for Vision, C.L. Gupta and Alakh Nayan Mandir in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

"Since FY2018-19, the bank has made substantial investment across 13 projects and 10 partners in the Seeing is Believing by Standard Chartered programme. This investment is expected to reach 6.8 million people, conduct 2,00,000 cataract operations, distribute 6,72,000 spectacles, carry out over 16,000 sub-speciality surgeries and declare over 3,000 villages blindness free through these over 200 new vision centres," said Zarin Daruwala, CEO, India, Standard Chartered Bank.

Besides, the Standard Chartered career academies set up with L V Prasad Eye Institute and Dr Shroff’s Charitable Eye Hospital, will train over 50,000 youth from the underprivileged areas for various roles in the eye health sector – including vision technicians and ophthalmic nurse assistants.

This will build capability and capacity while providing livelihood opportunities, it added.

Standard Chartered Bank India said so far it has opened 135 vision centres across 22 states and they have conducted 2.36 million cataract surgeries and dispensed 1,97,000 spectacles, overall benefitting nearly 14 million people since the inception of the programme in 2003.