The Lion’s club of Central Madras District.324 A1 paid rich tributes to the indomitable courage, iron will and deep compassion of Helen Keller, the lady who defied darkness and sound bytes to rise to glorious heights on Helen Keller Remembrance Day held on July 25th at the Sri VD Swami auditorium, Sankara Nethralaya.
Helen Keller Remembrance day is observed annually for the past 11 years from 1999 to 2010 as a celebration of the spirit of service and outstanding work done by the medical fraternity, medical institutions and support staff in the field of ophthalmology, especially among the poor and underprivileged of society.
The Dr Sitalakshmi Gift of Sight award instituted in 2008 in memory of one of the greatest corneal specialist of our times, known as much for the warmth and care that she exuded as much for her knowledge and amazing skills at the operation theatre is also awarded on this day to outstanding corneal specialists with a strong social commitment
It was a day of recognition and felicitation not only for the Doctors and Paramedics but also to the collective effort of the behind the screen movers like the transport employees, house keeping and front office staff who are a part of the chain link that contributes to a great patient experience.
Lion Aruna Oswal, Past District Governor District 323 A3 & LCIF coordinator who is well known as a social activist and philanthropist was the chief guest for the function in which other dignitaries Lion Dr SS Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus, Lion Dr T.S Surendran, other members of the Sankara Nethralaya family and distinguished members of the Lions Club of Central Madras participated and felicitated the award winners.
The Proud recipient’s of this year’s awards are
1. Dr G. Sithalakshmi gift of sight award presented to
Dr T.K Ramesh, Professor of Ophthalmology, Government Eye Hospital, Bangalore
2. I (Eye) care Awards were presented to
M Ram Reddy, Lions Eye Hospital, Mahbub Nagar, AP
KG Eye Hospital, Coimbatore
Low Vision Clinic, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai
3. Knight of the Blind Awards were presented to
Dr Vinod Kumar of Ram Reddy Hospital, Mahbub Nagar, AP
Dr K.Sivabalan of KG Eye Hospital, Coimbatore
Ms Sarika, Optometrist, Low Vision Clinic, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai
Lion Kawsalya Appukutty, Trustee, SWAN, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai
Lion S.Thirumurugan, President of the Lions Club of Central Madras welcomed the gathering and highlighted the ‘Sight First’ endavours of the club
Lion Dr SS Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya gave away the Knight of the Blind Award
Lion Dr T.S Surendran and Lion Dr Lakshmi offered the felicitations
Lion G.V Raman, Past District Governor explained the significance of Helen Keller’s Day
Lion S.N Harinarayanan, Chairman, Sight First proposed the Vote of Thanks
Healthcare institutes, doctors honoured
The New Indian Express