Nagpur: Despite chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ push for eliminating avoidable blindness through mass cataract surgeries, govt hospitals and affiliated institutions in Nagpur district are falling short of their annual targets under this key public health initiative.
As per official data for the year 2024–25 (updated till March 2025), govt and govt-affiliated hospitals in Nagpur collectively achieved only 80.1% of their cataract surgery targets. Of the total 11,253 surgeries targeted, only 9,017 were performed, leaving a shortfall of over 2,200.
Government Medical College & Hospital (GMCH), Nagpur, emerged as the top performer, completing 95 per cent of its 3,600-surgery target (3,421 surgeries done). Indira Gandhi Government Medical College & Hospital (IGGMCH) achieved 83.8 per cent, with 2,683 surgeries performed against a target of 3,200. AIIMS-Nagpur achieved only 73.9 per cent of its target (739 out of 1,000 surgeries). Collectively, these three key institutions were supposed to conduct 7,800 surgeries but managed 6,843.
The govt’s strategy of tying up with secondary hospitals and private OT units also appears to be faltering. The group of institutions like Daga Eye OT, SDH Kamptee, ESIC Hospital, and Railway Hospital collectively completed only 63% of their annual target (2,174 out of 3,453 surgeries).
“This underachievement is alarming, especially when the state is focusing on free cataract surgeries as part of a flagship healthcare campaign,” said a senior official from the state health department. “Maharashtra has lakhs of patients still waiting for vision-restoring procedures,” the official added.
Experts point out that cataract is a leading cause of blindness in the elderly, and such a lag in the govt scheme could severely affect the quality of life for thousands in the region. While officials from ESIC Hospital made it clear that the hospital lacks the machinery for cataract surgery, sources at AIIMS said that more than 1,000 surgeries were conducted but only 739 of them were eligible under the govt scheme.
