Bharti Kashyap is an Indian

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...

and social worker. She was honoured with

Nari Shakti Puraskar The Nari Shakti Puraskar () is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. It is presented by the presi ...

in 2017 and is a five-time recipient of the National IMA for the welfare of the underprivileged section of social sciences.

Personal life

Kashyap was born on May 15, 1967. She studied

MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

, MS (Ophthalmology) and Fellow in

Cornea The cornea is the transparency (optics), transparent front part of the eyeball which covers the Iris (anatomy), iris, pupil, and Anterior chamber of eyeball, anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and Lens (anatomy), lens, the cornea ...

. She married Birendra Prasad Kashyap who established Kashyap Memorial Eye Hospital in

Ranchi Ranchi (; ) is the capital city and also the largest district by population of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

Career

Kashyap worked extensively for the education of children suffering from visual impairment such as detective cataract, refractive error, etc by providing free treatment. She began social work in 1995, after discovering the increasing incidence of blindness in

children, causing high dropout rates. She conducted a sample eye screening of some 10,000 children enrolled in state run schools at Ramgarh. She organised free eye camps to address the main causes of avoidable blindness. She completed eye screening of more than 20 lakh children enrolled in state run schools of the state. She expanded to target underprivileged people, primitive tribes, victims of human trafficking, newspaper hawkers, diabetics, old age home residents, slum dwellers, and mentally disturbed people, to sportswomen and truck drivers. Free eye camps were organised in every block and district of Jharkhand with Kashyap Memorial Eye Bank, the charitable trust that she founded. The most noticeable impact was the return of children to school after receiving free eye glasses and free phaco cataract surgery at charitable wing- Kashyap Memorial Eye Bank. In 2015, as Chairperson, Women Doctors’ Wing Indian Medical Association, she launched the first major offensive in Jharkhand against

cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix or in any layer of the wall of the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that can invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later sympt ...

, the number one killer of women, by organising a series of Mega Women Health Camps focussing on Cervical Cancer Detection and Colposcopy Guided Cryo Treatment at the camp site throughout rural Jharkhand and in State run Sadar Hospitals. Joining hands with the state health department, she helped rope in onco-gynaecologists from Kolkata and New Delhi to provide training to gynaecologists working with state health services on early detection and treatment of cervical precancer. Her efforts, the first in Jharkhand, brought quality health care to women in rural areas, saving thousands from cervical cancer.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kashyap, Bharti 1967 births Living people Indian ophthalmologists Nari Shakti Puraskar winners Women ophthalmologists Place of birth missing (living people)