An array of articles are written on volunteers who are doing incredible work for the society. While these articles often deal with a particular area of expertise, this story is something different. It is the unique journey of Mr K. Bhimaya Reddy that led him to becoming an eye health volunteer.

Early Beginnings 

K. Sumandi is a village located in the Ganjam District of Odisha, India. 56-year-old K. Bhimaya is a resident of this village and his primary occupation is agriculture. Since he has been born and brought up in this village, as a way of giving back to his community, he spends a lot of time doing social work and contributing to the community’s development. Besides the social work, Bhimaya also enjoys fishing and his wife can cook-up some lip-smacking dishes from the fresh catch. The couple is so dedicated to the community that they decided to not have any children of their own.

During his initial days, he started helping people with their basic healthcare needs. He often engaged with the general physicians to help the community members by general health checkups; followed by referral to the district health centre. Bhimaya worked closely with the local Village Headman (Sarpanch) towards development work in surrounding villages. In his later days, Bhimaya associated with one of the doctors for continuous referral of patients from the villages to town for their healthcare needs. He gradually became a known name in the surrounding villages and his good work was appreciated by one and all.

The Turning point

A few years ago, Bhimaiya was suffering from poor vision, and he shared his plight with his associate doctors. To his surprise, no one took care of him. One of the doctors quoted a fee of INR 5000/- for his cataract surgery; however, Bhimaya could not afford the expenses. He felt dejected and alone during this difficult time where all he expected was kindness and support. Bhimaya started looking for other options to get his eye treated free of cost. Finally, he got to know that L.V. Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) had inaugurated the Arjun Waney Eye Centre in the town of Berhampur. He visited the hospital and was informed that there was the scope of free cataract surgeries for the poor and needy people. He decided to avail free cataract surgery from this secondary eye care centre of LVPEI. 

Realisation

After the successful eye surgery, Bhimaya realised the benefit of this facility and the transformative impact ot could have on his community members. He established communication with the administrator for doing screening camps in his locality by the secondary eye care centre of LVPEI, Brahmapur. He informed all the needy people. He volunteered to gather people 50 years and above for eye testing in his village. Identified cataract cases were brought to the Savitri Waney Eye Care Centre of LVPEI and underwent free cataract surgery services. All the villagers were happy with the support of Bhimaiya in association with LVPEI.  

Bhimaiya realised the need for more such eye care services, but how to reach the needy individuals was a question to him. "When I thought about the need, I first identified the people who were aged in the community, especially those who are financially challenged and who need caregivers. However, eye health awareness and treatment-seeking behaviour of people have always been a big challenge".

Traditionally, promoting any form of healthcare is done through a sense of community, connection, nature, or the arts; however, Bhimaya has been able to do this solely on his own. He is well-revered in the villages and this helps him convince and educate the community members with ease. 

The Bhimaya Approach

To address the lack of knowledge and service delivery centres of eye care, Bhimaya walked around his villages and gathered them together in a batch of 10 people. He engaged with the base hospital for bringing them for cataract surgery. Bhimaya brought them back to their residence after successful eye surgeries. He also encouraged the operated individuals to ensure a review/follow-up checkup at the hospital.

"My work with the underprivileged communities brings me immense joy and also offers a meaning to life. These community members have become my support system and are more than my family now." Bhimaya said.

Acknowledgement

The secondary eye care centre of LVPEI and Mission for Vision acknowledge his dedication toward voluntary work in the eye care domain. Bhimaya alone screened thousands of aged people in the community. His efforts have bridged the gap between demand and supply. Almost 500+ people were provided eye surgeries at no cost, thanks to the tireless effort of K. Bhimaya. 

About the Author: Amit Mondal leads programme impact efforts at Mission for Vision in east and northeast regions of India.  He plays a key role in project evaluation, impact assessment, implementation of research projects, assessment of programme deliverables and management of impact assessment team.