Ruparelia Foundation to Hold Free Eye Camp in Bukedea in Honour of Rajiv Ruparelia The Bukedea eye camp reflects the Ruparelia Foundation’s commitment to Rajiv Ruparelia’s belief that business must serve society—coming at a time when Uganda has only about 40–60 ophthalmologists for a population of more than 45 million, leaving over 400,000 people blind and another one million living with visual impairment.

The Ruparelia Foundation will host a three-day Free Eye Health Camp at Bukedea Teaching Hospital from March 27 to March 29, 2026, in a major medical outreach expected to benefit thousands of residents across Eastern and Northern Uganda.

The initiative is being organised in partnership with Mulago National Referral Hospital and C-Care, bringing together specialised medical teams to deliver critical eye care services to communities that often struggle to access such treatment.

During the camp, patients will receive free eye check-ups, cataract screenings, reading glasses, children’s glasses, and cataract surgeries for selected cases, according to the organisers.

The outreach is open to both adults and children, with residents from Bukedea, Soroti, Mbale, Gulu, Lira, Tororo and Kapchorwa particularly encouraged to attend.

The eye camp is being held in honour of Rajiv Ruparelia, the late Managing Director of the Ruparelia Group, who died in a road crash on May 3, 2025 at the age of 35.

Rajiv was widely known not only as a dynamic young business leader but also as a passionate philanthropist whose work through the Ruparelia Foundation helped expand access to education, healthcare and community development initiatives across Uganda.

As a trustee of the Foundation, Rajiv helped guide programmes that collectively invested over UGX 35 billion (about USD 9.5 million) into social impact initiatives including education scholarships, healthcare support, wildlife conservation, sports development, disaster relief and community welfare projects.

Among the most notable initiatives under his philanthropic leadership was the Ruparelia Foundation Talent Scholarship Programme, which enabled hundreds of academically gifted but financially disadvantaged Ugandans to pursue higher education, particularly through Victoria University.

He also supported a wide range of community interventions, including healthcare outreach programmes, sanitation projects in Kampala’s informal settlements, and conservation efforts such as the protection of chimpanzees at Ngamba Island and rhinos at Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.

The Bukedea eye camp reflects the spirit of Rajiv’s enduring belief that business success must translate into meaningful social impact.

A critical gap in eye healthcare

The outreach comes at a time when Uganda faces a significant gap in eye healthcare services.

Health experts estimate that the country has only about 40 to 60 ophthalmologists serving a population of more than 45 million people, far below the World Health Organization’s recommended ratio.

The limited number of specialists — most of whom are concentrated in urban centres such as Kampala — leaves large parts of the country with little or no access to specialised eye care.

As a result, preventable eye conditions remain widespread.

Estimates suggest that over 400,000 Ugandans are blind while another one million live with some form of visual impairment, much of it caused by treatable conditions such as cataracts and uncorrected refractive errors.  

Cataracts alone account for about 57.7 percent of blindness cases in Uganda, making surgical intervention and early diagnosis critical in preventing long-term vision loss.  

In many rural districts, eye health services remain limited due to shortages of equipment, trained personnel and specialised facilities, forcing patients to travel long distances or rely on periodic medical outreach programmes.

Community outreach bridging the gap

Against this backdrop, community-based eye health camps have become an important way of expanding access to treatment and raising awareness about preventable blindness.

Such initiatives help bring screening services, diagnosis and treatment closer to communities that would otherwise struggle to access specialised care.

The Bukedea outreach is also being supported by several corporate partners, including Swastik Pharmaceuticals, Dembe Trading Enterprises, Abacus Pharma, Goldstar Insurance, Pepsi, Royal Pharma 2011 Ltd, Joban Group, Risha International Ltd, Lato Milk and Gittoes Pharmaceuticals, among others.

Organisers have called upon community leaders and local authorities to mobilise residents experiencing eye problems to take advantage of the free services during the three-day programme.

Further information about the initiative can be obtained through the Ruparelia Foundation via info@rupareliafoundation.com or through its official social media platforms.