The 2005 Camp

The concept of an Eye Camp in India was a dream of Dr Alok Sharma, an Ophthalmologist and a member of the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga. Having joined Rotary in September 2003, Alok put his dream into reality and set about to raise funds to undertake some 200 cataract operations somewhere in India near his home town north of Delhi.

Alok proceeded to make a number of phone calls to India to find a Club that was prepared to assist him in a joint venture. A call to Mr Rajiv Bhatia, the Assistant District Governor of D3080 and Charter President of the Rotary Club of Yamuna Nagar – Riviera, that was formed in July 1999, was music to Alok’s ears, as Rajiv was most enthusiastic.

The Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga was absolutely stunned when Mr Ajoy Joshi, an Indian chef, and his wife Meera who own Nilgiri’s Restaurant in Sydney, donated all the food at no cost, travelled to Wagga to cook the meal then donated 10 meals at his Sydney Restaurant and a further $1,000 donation from the sale of his Indian cook books. In total their donation to the project exceeded $7,000. This dinner was the catalyst to the support that followed. We were amazed at the generosity of people from Wagga, Melbourne, Sydney and Townsville. With cash donations, medical supplies, equipment, freight and flights, the estimated donations were valued at over AU$71,500. No funds received for this project was spent on administration or the travel of Rotary Club members.

Dr Sharma’s father, who now lives in Delhi, liaised with the Rotary Club of Yamuna Nagar – Riviera and the Eye Hospital at Rohtak (north of Delhi) and appropriate officials to ensure the success of the project. Alok’s Dad personally distributed pamphlets to about 20 of the 150 villages visited in an auto rickshaw fitted with a loud speaker to advise these very poor people that an Eye Camp is being planned and fully funded by the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga who was providing for the cost of the operation, medicine, glasses and food for the patients and their carer.

PP Phil Cross with the auto rickshaw used to promote the program.

The Rotary Club of Yamuna Nagar – Riviera under their President, Dr Nikhil Srivastava, coordinated their members to put all the planning for such a project into action. The team support was exceptional with a number of members taking a week off work - and they worked around the clock as operations continued on till after 3.00am each day.

The three day Eye Camp was held at the Hospital in Yamuna Nagar, some 4 hours drive north of Delhi on 18 to 20 November 2005.

PP Philip Cross and Dr Alok Sharma meet the members of the RC of Yamu Nagar - Riviera

The Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga is proud to be part of such a wonderful project that will restore vision to many blind people. The Camp was very successful with over 2,000 people turning up. In total, some 1,100 people were checked out with 245 cataract operations undertaken, over 700 medicines dispensed and 230 sets of glasses issued. The follow up Camp in December 2005 was also very successful with no cases of infection found in any of the patients treated.