‘Mahindra Life Spaces’ the creator of Mahindra World City envisaged it to be a perfect blend of world class infrastructure for enhanced life and work balance. Mahindra World City joined hands with Sankara Nethralaya to give a new meaning to this noble objective by enhancing the quality of life and ability to work of the local residents, by bringing back lost vision through world class eye care taken to their door steps. The valedictory function of the  7 day Mobile Eye Screening/Surgical camp (MESU) held on the 14th of March 2015 the concluding day, started on a lively note with a group song ‘the world is a small place, the world is full of laughter’ by tiny tots from the Mahindra World School.

Extending a warm welcome the audience and dignitaries Shri Subrata Sen Gupta, Marketing Manager, Mahindra World City gave an impressive account of the camp, a part of the organization’s CSR initiative aimed at serving the 7 neighbouring villages, he gave the camp figures as 475 screened, 70 cataract surgeries performed and 28 patients with more complex cases referred to the base hospital. He recalled that Mahindra City had recently completed eye screening for more than 1000 students jointly with Sankara Nethralaya, adding jubilantly that Dr SS.Badrinath and his team have been responsible for reviving the vision of millions, to the thunderous applause of the gathering. Welcoming the honourable Chief Guest of the function Dr. S. Geethalakshmi, Director of Medical Education, Government of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Gajendra Kumar Varma, Senior Consulant , Sankara Nethralaya lauded her as an innovator, best teacher, best administrator and recalled her stellar role in WHO’s waste management program which won her great laurels. He had a high word of appreciation for Shri Arul Pichai Narayanan Muthu, Director, ARMA Medical Foundation for his role in preventive healthcare and special training accorded for lab technicians. Speaking on the occasion Special Guest of the event, Shri Chandru, Chief Operating Officer of Mahindra World City observed that Sankara Nethralaya and its founder Dr S.S.Badrinath needed no introduction as they are known the world over. He remarked that Sankara Nethralaya has displayed its mastery over the art of taking health care to the villages through the recently concluded camp and urged that its services should be extended to larger areas of the country to serve the society better.

Dr P.S.Rajesh, Head, MESU operations highlighted that MESU was created to take high quality eye care to the doorsteps of patients living in interior villages, he traced the inception and operation of the advanced outdoor facility with impressive figures of beneficiaries, he underlined that one of the beneficiaries of the just concluded camp was a polio patient who would have found it very difficult to travel to a base hospital, which captured the spirit of the MESU. Speaking on the occasion Dr. SS.Badrinath congratulated the work of the MESU team and the Mahindra city team as remarkable, he thanked the management of Mahindra World City for their gracious hospitality during the week long camp. He utilized the opportunity to give an interesting insight into the vision impairment scenario in the country, the impressive role of the blindness control society in bringing this down significantly, how cataract remains the single biggest threat to healthy vision, concentration of doctors in the urban areas and the pioneering role of MESU in taking quality eye care to the villages.

Delivering the Chief Guest’s address Dr S. Geethalakshmi lauded the role of public spirited institutions like Sankara Nethralaya and Mahindra World City in providing health care to the needy and how such partnerships greatly complemented the government’s measures towards providing healthcare, to a great extent. Shri Elumalai, Panchayath President expressed his profuse thanks to Sankara Nethralaya and Mahindra City for bringing world class eye care to the villagers living in the region. The momentous event came to an end with a touching Vote of thanks by Shri K. Arul Kumar, Coordinator MESU Operations, Sankara Nethralaya.

Dinamani