Zeal that lights up a million lives

ONE OF their rural outreach eye care programmes is rightly named ``Irul Neeki'' (dispelling darkness). And for 25 years Sankara Eye Hospital has been providing light in the life of lakhs of visually challenged rural folks with its Gift of Vision programme.

Irul Neeki is a remote hamlet in Mannargudi taluk where Sri Jayendra Saraswathi of the Kanchi math was born. The hospital, which is part of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Medical Trust, says it has drawn inspiration from the concept ``Sankaram''- which was explained to the hospital trustees by Kanchi Paramacharya Chandrashekarendra Saraswati thus: ``Do not wait for the suffering to come to you, go to them''. (Incidentally, another project has been named Sankaram.)

Since then the focus has been on community eye-care programmes transcending caste, religious and geographical barriers in an effort at preventing or curing blindness.

The Managing Trustee of the institution, Dr. R.V. Ramani, says what began as a free general health care on a temple premises in Coimbatore city on May 21, 1977, has blossomed into a full- fledged eye care centre that now plans to help eye care reach the deeper pockets of the country.

Dr. Ramani and his wife offered to run the centre at the Kamakshi Amman temple after the Kanchi acharyas expressed their desire to have one for the poor. Dr. Ramani teamed up with some of his fraternity, all in the same age group, to run the centre.

``It was in 1982 that an exclusive eye care centre was mooted by one of our members. After seeing the plight of the visually challenged, we decided to provide what they needed most - the gift of vision'', says Dr. Ramani.

Headquartered at Coimbatore and with rural centres in the South, the hospital has established branches at Rudraprayag in Uttar Pradesh, Madhubani in Bihar, Nasik in Maharashtra, Mount Abu in Rajasthan and Behrampur in Orissa.

The hospital has conducted 1,610 rural outreach camps since 1990, covering a population of over 1.5 crore. Totally, 83,666 free eye operations have been performed that includes corrective surgery and corneal transplant. The hospital performs 150 surgeries and the Sankara Eye Bank receives a pair of eyes as donation everyday.

The hospital has conducted camps in Cambodia and even trained surgeons of that country to sustain the eye care programme there. Camps were also held in Nigeria. Now, a hospital would be built in Andhra Pradesh also.

The Sankara Eye Society was formed in 1986. To mark the 40th year of Independence, the Trust came up with a novel scheme, ``Vande Mataram'', to offer free eye care to freedom fighters in 1987. ``Invitation cards'' were sent to freedom fighters to avail of the scheme. And the first card was received by the widow of ``Tirupur'' Kumaran, a martyr in the Freedom struggle.

The Rainbow Scheme, which envisaged detection and cure of eye ailment among school students, covered over two million children with the support of the District Administration and the teachers.

The hospital does not restrict itself to curing blindness or corneal transplant. In cases of incurable blindness, a community- based rehabilitation programme is being carried out. Mobility training - to move about in the house, street or within their community - and vocational training is offered to such people. ``They would not be felt as a burden and would be respected when they earned their livelihood''.

Set to celebrate its silver jubilee on July 29, the movement owes its success to the collective effort of its team and support organisations. Dr. Ramani dedicates entirely to the movement the Role Model of India award conferred on him by the North-South Foundation, U.S. and Basic Research Education and Development Society, for reaching eye care to the poor and deprived sections.

``We are playing only a catalytic role between the service and the served'', says Dr. Ramani.

K. V. PRASAD

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Features
Previous : Candid shots of despair and hope
Next     : Sculptural splendour