Part 18: Free Eye Care, Dental & Orthopaedic Treatment

Free Eye Care

National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCBVI)

• Free cataract surgery at government hospitals and eye camps.
• India performs 6+ million cataract surgeries per year — the world’s highest volume.
• Free spectacles distributed through school screening programmes.
• Available at: District hospitals, Regional Eye Centres, and outreach camps.

Best Government Eye Hospitals:

• AIIMS (all campuses) — Ophthalmology departments.
• RP Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS Delhi — India’s best.
• Shankar Nethralaya, Chennai — Semi-charitable. Subsidized.
• LV Prasad Eye Institute — Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar. Free for 50%+ patients.

PM-JAY Eye Packages:

• Cataract surgery with IOL: Covered cashless.
• Retinal detachment repair: Covered.
• Glaucoma surgery: Covered.

Free Dental Care

• Government dental colleges provide free/₹10 OPD dental treatment.
• Available at every government medical college and many district hospitals.
• Services: Extraction, filling, cleaning, root canal (at teaching hospitals), dentures.

Free Orthopaedic Care

Fractures & Trauma:

• Free at all government hospital emergency departments.
• Plating, casting, traction — all free at government hospitals.

Joint Replacement under PM-JAY:

• Knee replacement: Package rate ~₹80,000-1,20,000 (vs ₹3-5 Lakh private).
• Hip replacement: Package rate ~₹80,000-1,20,000.
• Cashless at empanelled hospitals.

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Next: Part 19 — Which State Has the Best Free Healthcare? The Ranking