Ruparelia Foundation Unveils Bukedea Eye Camp In Honour Of Rajiv Ruparelia’s Legacy

By Gad Masereka

The Ruparelia Foundation has announced plans to launch a major medical outreach programme aimed at expanding access to eye care services in Eastern Uganda, with the official press conference scheduled for Tuesday 10th March 2026 in Kampala.

The announcement was made on Monday 9th March 2026 ahead of the launch of the RR Eye Camp Bukedea, a large scale initiative designed to provide free eye care services to underserved communities in the Teso sub region.

According to the foundation, the press conference will take place on Tuesday at Kabira Country Club in Kampala, where partners, medical specialists and community representatives are expected to gather to formally unveil the programme.

The RR Eye Camp Bukedea is scheduled to run from March 27 to March 29 at Bukedea Teaching Hospital in Bukedea District. Organisers say the outreach will focus on addressing the growing burden of preventable blindness in rural communities by providing free eye screening, treatment and public health education to residents from Bukedea and neighbouring districts.

The foundation expects at least 2,000 community members to receive free eye screening and basic treatment during the three day camp.

Medical teams will also conduct about 300 cataract surgeries, including specialised procedures for up to 50 children. In addition, more than 800 free reading glasses will be distributed to patients diagnosed with vision problems that can be corrected through lenses.

Beyond its medical objectives, the 2026 eye camp carries special significance as it pays tribute to the late Rajiv Ruparelia, whose philanthropic work focused on supporting disadvantaged communities and expanding access to essential services. The initiative is being organised under the theme Continuing the Vision, reflecting an effort to sustain the values he championed through community service.

Organisers say the Bukedea camp will take a different approach from many medical outreach programmes that only conduct screenings before referring patients to distant hospitals.

At this camp, all cataract surgeries and treatments will be conducted on site at Bukedea Teaching Hospital, a move intended to remove the financial and logistical barriers that often prevent rural patients from completing treatment.

The programme will also include specialised paediatric eye care services, making it one of the few community medical camps in the country to provide dedicated surgical care for children with severe eye conditions. Health experts note that untreated vision problems among children can significantly affect learning and development if left unaddressed.

Medical professionals involved in the programme point to the scale of Uganda’s eye care challenge. Estimates indicate that about six percent of the population lives with some form of visual impairment, while approximately 2.5 million Ugandans suffer from moderate to severe vision loss. Around 150,000 people are completely blind, with cataracts responsible for more than half of those cases.

Access to specialised care remains limited, particularly in rural areas. Uganda has fewer than fifty ophthalmologists serving a population of more than forty million people, with many specialists concentrated in Kampala and other urban centres. As a result, residents in remote districts often struggle to access timely diagnosis and treatment.

Through partnerships with hospitals, corporate sponsors and healthcare providers, the Ruparelia Foundation hopes the RR Eye Camp Bukedea will restore sight, improve quality of life and demonstrate how collaborative initiatives can help bridge healthcare gaps in underserved communities.

Community members from Bukedea and surrounding districts have been encouraged to attend the camp and benefit from the free services that will be offered during the three day outreach later this month.

Organisers say the upcoming launch in Kampala will outline the full scope of the initiative and the partnerships that will support its implementation.