Kochi: Malayalam superstar Mammootty on Sunday launched the third edition of ‘Kazhcha’, a free eye treatment project jointly organised by the actor’s Care and Share international foundation and the Angamaly Little Flower hospital.
Care and Share has been providing free treatment by joining hands with the hospital since 2005-06.
In the recent edition of ‘Kazhcha 3’, the organisers included more welfare schemes for the tribal communities. The event coincides with the golden jubilee celebrations of the eye bank of the hospital.
“Care and Share and the hospital will jointly identify the beneficiaries and implement the welfare scheme,” Mammootty said during its inauguration here.
The project aims to conduct free eye test for one lakh people from Kerala and Lakshadweep, free eye screening for 50,000 school students, free cataract surgeries for 5,000 people among others.
“I feel happy to be associated with the Little Flower hospital, which is the first private eye bank in the country,” he said.
The actor honoured Ophthalmologist Padma Shri Dr. Tony Fernandez during the event.
The hospital said, as part of its golden jubilee celebrations, the eye bank has collected 24,000 eyes and till now 17,500 transplants have been done.