Gandhinagar
Government hospitals and medical colleges across Gujarat will receive 18 advanced phacoemulsification machines for cataract surgeries at an estimated cost of more than Rs 8.85 crore, following approval by state Health Minister Praful Pansheriya, on Thursday.
The machines will be distributed among government healthcare institutions in Ahmedabad, Surat, Bhavnagar, Vadodara, Jamnagar, Morbi, Gandhinagar, Vadnagar and Himmatnagar. The state government said the equipment would help patients to access modern eye treatment free of cost. The M and J Institute of Ophthalmology in Ahmedabad will receive seven machines, while Government Medical College in Bhavnagar, and GMERS Hospital in Morbi, will receive two each. One machine each has been allocated to New Civil Hospital and Old Civil Hospital in Surat, GG General Hospital in Jamnagar, ESIC General Hospital in Vadodara, and GMERS institutions in Gandhinagar, Vadnagar and Himmatnagar. The machines are designed to improve precision during cataract surgery by allowing surgeons to control ultrasound energy, vacuum and fluid flow.
Their technology helps break down and remove cataract fragments, with the aim of providing greater control during procedures and supporting faster recovery. The equipment features an elliptical movement technology in its handpiece and a peristaltic pump system to regulate fluid flow and vacuum, enabling cataract particles to be removed through a suction tip. A foot-pedal control system allows surgeons to adjust ultrasound energy, vacuum and fluid flow according to the requirements of each operation.
The machines also incorporate CASE (Chamber Stabilisation Environment) technology, which regulates changes in vacuum and fluid flow to help maintain stable pressure inside the eye during surgery and reduce the risk of a sudden pressure drop, known as a post-occlusion surge. The handpiece is designed to reduce excessive heat generation near the small incision made during surgery. This can help minimise corneal oedema, or swelling of the cornea, and other post-operative complications, supporting quicker recovery. The approval was given at a meeting chaired by Pansheriya as part of the state government’s efforts to strengthen eye-care facilities at government medical colleges and hospitals.Â
