During a press conference by the United Sikh Mission (USM) in Chandigarh on Thursday IT was in 2005 that United Sikh Mission (USA) began its visionary mission of organising eye camps to give the gift of light to thousands across Punjab, reaching out to the remotest areas in the state and most vulnerable people, all free of cost and with highly specialised services.
“Mission for Vision is now in its 18th year of service and in the year 2022-23 we have a plan to organise more than 50 free eye check-up camps covering more than 400 villages across Punjab, spread over a time span of five months,” said Rashpal Singh Dhindsa, chairman, United Sikh Mission (USM), while sharing the schedule for the year here on Thursday.
Mission for Vision, added Dhindsa, is a selfless act of serving the community, and this year, beginning October 15, seven camps have been organised in the districts of Ferozepur, Sangrur, Barnala, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, and SAS Nagar (Mohali). Apart from free eye check-ups, there were provisions and arrangements for free medicines, spectacles, and eye surgeries at the camps, and free meals were provided along with pre- and post-operative care.
Dhindsa said that they generate their own funds from donations from various sponsors who are mainly NRIs who want their native village to be benefited from these camps. “It is all Guru’s will and as humans, they are trying to help other humans irrespective of their religion, gender, and caste. The mission is to empower communities worldwide by addressing disparities in healthcare needs by eliminating preventable medical illnesses while promoting peace and community to spread prosperity and kindness towards humanity,” said Dhindsa, who appealed to people to come forward for any help, no matter how small to improve healthcare.
Avtar Singh, Board of Director and Camps management, USM, India informed that this is an inspiring journey, one that began with a single camp and till now USM has provided 253,593 bottles of prescriptions for eye drops,149,520 Spectacles, and held 27,974 free cataract operations. Apart from this, in rare cases in which a patient needed heart surgery or hip or knee replacements, the organisation has helped with funds to get those surgeries.
The villages in which camps are held are sponsored by individuals. The team goes out to these villages and the 10 surrounding villages to hand out pamphlets, put up posters and make announcements to inform them of their upcoming service. Postoperative care is also provided with two check-ups at the same camp in which the operation took place, and transportation to and from the camps to the hospital is also arranged. Permissions for the camps are taken from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of each district. USM plans to initiate work on a charitable hospital to take care of all eye-related surgeries, along with dialysis treatment, all free of cost, in Punjab.
Ojaswwee Sharma, India Head, Sikhlens, said that the humanitarian journey of USM work has been showcased in a 40-minute documentary entitled ‘Silver Lining’ covering 18 years of dedicated charitable service to the needy, showcasing the efforts and impact of the work.