CASK organized the 4th Health Camp and 3rd Eye Camp at the Concetta Hospital-Kinnigoly in collaboration with the Fr Muller Medical College on 19th April 2015. A 8-member team of doctors, optometrists and interns examined 133 persons(266 eyes) of whom 68 were prescribed spectacles and 24 were referred for surgery or further investigations to Fr Muller Medical College Hospital.
The staff of Concetta Hospital and 6 CASK volunteers provided crucial assistance and facilitation to the patients and the medical team.
The Editor of ‘Mangalore’ magazine – Patsy Lobo interviewed a few patients. One of the first to arrive was 78 year old John D’Silva. He was full of praise for CASK for organizing this Free Eye camp – he said it is difficult for people like him to travel to Mangalore for medical consultations. He narrated his interesting life story. He said he joined an English Medium school in 1942 but when India attained independence in 1947, his school was converted into a Kannada medium school and he found it difficult to cope. So he discontinued his studies at class-7 and landed in Bombay(now Mumbai). He started life in Mumbai as a House boy for a salary of Rs.10/- a month, in his spare time learnt driving and obtained a driving licence and started working as a driver for Rs.100/- a month. He then bought a taxi and graduated as a famous Bombay Taxi driver. To better his prospects, he then went to Saudi Arabia and worked for 10 years and earned enough to buy a plot of land in his native village and built a house. “More importantly, I educated my 5 children and gave them what I thought was the best” he said with obvious pride and added “they are all doing well”.
It is simple and Godfearing people like John D’Silva who are the stimulators of the overall prosperity of our community! They worked very hard to educate their children thereby improving the family income and status!!
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