We are building a rural eye-care workforce that can address avoidable blindness at scale

Dr Umang Mathur, CEO and Cornea Specialist, Dr Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital highlights the role of structured training, CSR collaboration, and workforce development in rural eye care in conversation with Neha Aathavale

- Neha Aathavale

India faces a significant shortage of trained ophthalmologists and paramedics in rural regions. How will Phase II of the Standard Chartered-Shroff’s Eye Care Education Academy help bridge this manpower gap over the next few years?

Phase II of the Standard Chartered-Shroff’s Eye Care Education Academy will build a stronger rural eye-care workforce by expanding structured training for medical officers, ophthalmic fellows, and paramedical staff. With the new wet lab, AV training room, and strengthened curricula, the Academy will enhance surgical skills, standardise learning, and increase the number of job-ready professionals. Over the next 3 years, this will enable SCEH to deploy more skilled manpower to secondary and vision centres, directly addressing the shortage of trained eye-care providers in underserved regions.

One of the core goals of the Vrindavan rural academy is to empower women through skill-building and employment. What specific roles and opportunities will this initiative create for women in the eye care sector?