It was on the 12th day of October, 2009 that the Jorhat Medical College & Hospital was formally inaugurated and the very next day ie. October 13, 2009, along with the other departments, the Dept. of Ophthalmology too became functional. It began with only one single Ophthalmologist, DR. SYAMANTA BORUAH, as a faculty and two Ophthalmic Assistants to assist him. The OPD was a small single room partitioned by a temporary partition, the outside half for the Doctor with a pair of Table and Chair and the inside half for the Ophthalmic Assistants to do refraction and other minor procedures.

The doctor on that first day had to himself register the names and other details of the patients and then examine them. On the first day, some near about 40 patients were examined and treated in the Eye OPD, JMCH.

The Eye OT upstairs was an old style OT with asbestos ceiling and wall Air Conditioners and was lacking in modern and adequate facilities.

The Eye wards were adjacent to the OT complex with very inadequate space.

That is how it all began..!! And gradually infrastructure and manpower were added, upgraded and now we are a full fledged department with 5 faculty members (including 2 Registrars) and advanced equipments, renovated Operation Theatre complex, huge OPD complex, Departmental Office complex, adequate ward space and beds etc.

 

Key areas/components of the specialty.

Out - patient and In - patient holistic Eye Care for disease prevention and treatment in Jorhat and adjoining districts of Assam upto Nagaland.

Detection of Blindness and its control and also issual of certificates to the blind on percentage basis in collaboration with District Health Services, Jorhat.

Very intimately linked with NPCB (National Programme for Control of Blindness) under which itself there are many other programmes, and the proper implementation.