It’s not just Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Deepika Kumari and a handful of sports persons that are synonymous with Jharkhand. The State with abundant natural resources, flora and fauna, also have some unsung heroes and s-heroes, who have been tirelessly working for the society without the lust of fame and recognition.
Meet Dr Bharti Kashyap (52), co-founder and Medical Director of Kashyap Memorial Eye Hospital and eye bank trust as well as chair person of women doctor’s wing IMA, Jharkhand, has waged a war against vision loss and cervical cancer among women, especially those who do not have access to medical facilities in far flung naxal affected areas of the tribal State.
Noted ophthalmologist of the State, Dr Bharti Kashyap, has to her credit the first post humus eye donation and the first free cornea transplant of the then unified Bihar and Jharkhand in 1995. She founded first active eye bank of Bihar Jharkhand, Kashyap Memorial Eye Bank which has so far successfully carried out 482 cornea transplants, all free of charge.
Over the past 14 years, through innovative Run for Vision and now Blindfolded Marathons 2018 and 2019, Dr Kashyap has helped break the taboo of organ donation, encouraging people and families to come forward to pledge their eyes and donate eyes of deceased family members.
Between 2007 and 2018, Dr Kashyap has more than 20 Lakh children enrolled in Government run schools all over Jharkhand. Thousands of children, who at one stage, had dropped out of schools due to undetected and untreated high glass power cataracts, are now happily back at their schools, after being provided free eye glasses, cataract removal surgery and world class eye care at Kashyap Memorial Eye Hospital, Ranchi and through free eye screening and refraction and cataract surgery camps with premium iol implantation all free of cost.
Her beneficiaries also include victims of child trafficking, spastic children, diabetics, old age home residents, spastics, newspaper hawkers, daily wages workers, railway station porters, primitive tribes and people residing in the more difficult terrains of Jharkhand
Notably, since 2014, as Chairperson of Indian Medical Association, Women Doctors Wing, Jharkhand Chapter, Dr Kashyap has been waging a war against cervical cancer, the second most common cause of death of women of India, by organising free cervical cancer screening camps in tribal areas of Jharkhand educating women on nutrition, genital hygiene, multiple pregnancies and evils of pushing their girl child into early marriages
Due to her continuous campaigns, 11 out of 23 Sadar Hospitals of Jharkhand in Santhal Parganas, Ranchi, Koderma, Giridih, Khunti and Hazaribagh have been equipped with cervical pre cancer detection and treatment equipment.
Dr Kashyap has pioneered training programmes for gynaecologists working in State run Sadar Hospitals of Jharkhand on cervical screening through VIA screening methodology and colposcopy guided CRYO treatment by trained oncogynaecologist from USA, Delhi and Kolkata.
Notably, Dr Kashyap’s three-pronged strategy against cervical cancer is bearing fruits in many ways. Today, thousands of women have been cured of cervical pre cancer and genital infections, free of cost. Governor and MLAs of different parts of Jharkhand helped her in equipping 13 out of 23 Government Sadar Hospitals with cervical cancer pre cancer treatment machines and also mass awareness on genital hygiene and symptoms of cervical pre cancer and anemia is being made.
Dr Kashyap has been conferred with Nari Shakti Puraskar 2017 by President of India, for women empowerment in 2018. She has been awarded thrice by National Indian Medical Association, women empowerment award 20 Achiever Award 2014 by New Delhi, for contribution to society particularly women, children and medical profession.
