International Association for the Prevention of Blindness
Nation’s No-1 champion of healthy vision and crusader against blindness honours the man who reflects its values and lives its ideals
‘Vision 2020: The Right to Sight’ the national forum of concerned stakeholders comprising of NGO’s, government bodies and corporate entities, in the forefront of advocacy, knowledge sharing and ensuring best practices, to bring about effective and enhanced eye care delivery honours distinguished individuals who have stood, strived and contributed to its cause and whose efforts have brought about discernible changes to reducing blindness and delivering better eye care. The Indian chapter of Vision 2020, the joint global initiative between the ‘World Health Organization’ (WHO) and the ‘International Association for the Prevention of Blindness’ (IAPB) conferred its highest and most prestigious award ‘VISION 2020: The Right to Sight- INDIA VISIONARY AWARD’ for year 2016 on Dr SS.Badrinath, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Sankar Nathralaya. The awards were presented at the annual conference of Vision 2020 held on the 3rd and 4th June 2017, at the MGM Eye Institute, Raipur, Chhattisgarh and was attended by a large number of eye care professionals and administrators from all over the world. The VISION 2020: The Right to Sight- INDIA VISIONARY AWARD’ award was presented by the Honourable Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste and was received on behalf of Dr SS.Badrinath, by Dr R.R. Sudhir, Senior Consultant Cornea Services, Head Department of Preventive Ophthalmology & Consultant In charge – Electronic Medical Records, Sankara Nethralaya.
The citation accompanying the award highlights the recipient’s phenomenal role in reducing the burden of blindness in the country, initiating high level ophthalmic research, setting high ethical and operational standards in clinical care and administering an ophthalmic institution, adhering to values of transparency, high professional ethics and innovation in eye care delivery. It has an entire paragraph dedicated to the recipient’s role in conceptualizing, developing and operating the Mobile Eye Surgical Unit (MESU) the institution’s revolutionary operation theater on wheels.
The Sankara Nethralaya family salutes its ‘Chief’ on being conferred this rare honour and reaffirms its dedication and commitment to live up to his dream of a blindness free India.