SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, Oct. 28: Dr Birendra Prasad Kashyap, a noted eye specialist, has thrown his hat in the ring to lead the Ranchi assembly constituency, considered to be a BJP stronghold.
The Ranchi assembly constituency, which goes to vote on November 13, has been represented by BJP’s CP Singh for the last 28 years. Dr Kashyap also faces JMM’s Mahua Majhi, who has been unlucky here twice in the past.
“I am confident I can lead this constituency,” Dr Kashyap told this writer.
People want change
“People want change. I want to create a good infrastructure in Ranchi in the field of health, roads, drinking water, and the creation of jobs for local youths by roping in industrial houses. I have been a voter for decades from here and practising as an eye specialist for the last 40 years. I know every nook and corner in this constituency. Ranchi deserves much more,” said Dr Kashyap, who has made an election debut as an Independent.
Served people of Jharkhand for 40 years
Dr Kashyap said he has served the people of Jharkhand, particularly Ranchi for the last 40 years. “At the age of 67, I have earned everything, fame, and money. I have set up a state-of-the-art eye hospital. Now, it is time for me to pay back to society,” he added.
Super speciality eye hospital
Notably, he has established a super speciality eye hospital of the highest NABH quality in Jharkhand. All super speciality eye doctors trained in AIIMS New Delhi work in this hospital, especially eye doctors of all specialities like cornea, retina and eye tumours, cancer, and glaucoma work in this hospital and due to this the patients of Jharkhand get a lot of help and such patients with serious eye diseases do not have to go out of Jharkhand.
Doctor’s prescription after diagnosis
Being a doctor, on what medicine he would give to Ranchi, Dr Kashyap said, “The constituency is full of rubbish and dumping yards. The immunity of the constituency needs to be improved. And then look into transport, cleanliness, mosquito menace, no infrastructure…” “People still have to rush to New Delhi or Vellore for treatment,” he pointed out.
“I need to diagnose the disease first,” he added.
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Want voters to make a wise choice
Dr Kashyap, however, asserted that he was in the poll ring not against anyone. Doctors never ask about caste or religion when they treat a patient. So, I am there with my conviction and principle and am urging voters to give votes rising above caste and religion to make Ranchi better and beautiful,” he maintained.
Opportunity for voters
Dr Kashyap, who has dedicated his life to the vision protection of the people of Jharkhand, said it is an opportunity for Ranchiites to select a truly “padha-likha” candidate and pave the way for other educated persons to join and cleanse politics in future.
Kashyap Memorial Eye Hospital
Dr Kashyap and his wife Dr Bharti Kashyap established the first NABH quality highest recognized eye hospital in North East and Western India in 2005. Kashyap Memorial Eye Hospital is also a centre for the highest studies of DNB and Fellowship for ophthalmology, due to which the doctors of Jharkhand and doctors from other parts of the country also get an opportunity to learn ophthalmology.
Dr Kashyap’s entire family is a family of people who have studied medicine and engineering. After the demise of his father, his mother and brothers settled in America. But Dr Kashyap considered Ranchi as his motherland and decided to stay back and serve the people of Ranchi and Jharkhand.
In January 1996, as a result of the tireless eye donation awareness campaign run by Dr Kashyap and Dr Bharti Kashyap, the first eye donation and eye transplantation in the state of death became possible. After this, both of them together established Kashyap Memorial Eye Bank, which is a charitable organization. This organisation fulfils two-thirds of the annual target of 150 eye transplants given by the Eye Bank Association of India, i.e. close to 100, i.e. more than 100 eye transplants are done every year.
This charitable organisation, established in the year 2002, has examined more than 20 lakh poor children in government schools. Thousands of children have been given free spectacles. Hundreds of children have been operated upon for cataracts and sent to school.
The institution also organises camps for eye protection in Kolhan, Santhal Pargana, Saranda, Palamu, Latehar, Ranchi, Khunti and other remote areas.
Dr Kashyap’s father, Dr Bharat Prasad Kashyap, had done the first eye transplant in 1979 in RIMS with the eyes brought from Sri Lanka which were brought with the help of Dr Peter Anderson of Australia and all six eyes were transplanted in RIMS. After this, the work of eye transplants stopped because there was no local postmortem eye donation and it was very difficult to get them from Sri Lanka on a regular basis.
