Maharashtra’s First RetCam Centre For NICU Infants Inaugurated At Jalna’s Ganpati Netralaya

Jalna: Maharashtra’s first state-of-the-art RetCam Retinopathy Diagnostic Centre for NICU infants, established at a cost of Rs 2 crore, was inaugurated on Saturday at Shri Ganpati Netralaya, Jalna.

The facility has been developed under The Rotary Foundation’s USA & India Global Grant as part of the Retinopathy Diagnostic Centre Project, awarded to the Rotary Club of Jalna Midtown (RCJM) and supported by the Rotary Club of Corona, the Rotary Club of Austin (USA), and Shri Ganpati Netralaya. From the second mention, the organisation is referred to as RCJM.

Rajendra Barwale, chairman of the Mahyco Group, praised the Rotary clubs and partners for their dedication to the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self.” He commended the tireless efforts of Dr Anup Karwa, who played a pivotal role in securing the Global Grant funding.

Barwale described the project as a “dream fulfilled”, comparing it to sowing a seed that now requires dedicated nurturing. He emphasised that the biggest challenge ahead will be the early detection of retinopathy of prematurity and convincing parents of affected infants to seek timely treatment.

He added that telemedicine will enable specialists to reach remote regions, identify infants with retinopathy of prematurity and work towards eliminating the disease -- a “herculean but achievable mission”. Ganpati Netralaya, he affirmed, is fully committed to this cause.

In his address, Dr Anup Karwa, Global Grant lead and district Stewardship chair, shared that he and his team connected with Rotarians and non-Rotarians across the world to gather support and successfully secured prestigious international grant funding for the project.

Rotary Midtown president Ankit Agarwal, district governor Sudhir Lature and immediate past district governor Suresh Saboo also addressed the gathering.

Saurabh Zanzari, treasurer, proposed the vote of thanks, while the proceedings were conducted by Venu Agrawal, bulletin editor of Midtown. The event was attended by a large number of senior Rotarians from Jalna and other cities of Maharashtra.