May 2015
A proud Alma Mater honours its worthy Alumnus for his exceptional feat
The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand – quoting Vince Lombardi, Dr Drishti Parekh, the day’s compeer welcomed the gathering assembled to felicitate Dr. Mohan Rajan, Chairman, Rajan Eye Hospital and an old student and friend and well wisher of Sankara Nethralaya, on his being conferred the highly prestigious “Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons” at the Sri V D Swami Auditorium on 13th May 2015.
Following the mellifluous rendition of the invocation by Dr S R Bharathi Devi, Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Bio Chemistry, Dr R. Srikanth, Associate Consultant at the Pediatric Department rendered the welcome address highlighting that the honouring of Dr.Mohan Rajan was truly a moment of great joy and pride for one and all at Sankara Nethralaya.
Dr Pramod Bhende, Deputy Director, Vitreo Retinal Services, introduced Dr Mohan Rajan as a man of many achievements to his credit. He described Dr. Mohan Rajan as a proud Alumnus of Sankara Nethralaya, and the person who heads the Rajan Eye Care Hospital as its Chairman and Managing Director. He lauded that the recipient being honoured for his great achievement has held distinguished positions at the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, European Society of Cataract & Refractive surgeons. He pointed that Dr Mohan Rajan has served as the Examiner for Diplomate in National Board and as adjunct Professor of Ophthalmology at The Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University and has over 450 papers published to his credit and won several accolades including the prestigious Capt Subramanium Gold Medal for the video “Evolution of Cataract Surgery”, Paul Harris Fellow Award, Sundareswarar Endowment Lecture Award, Centenarian Seva Ratna Trust Award and Young Achievers Award to name a few. Dr Pramod Bhende highlighted that as a warm and kind hearted person Dr Mohan Rajan had a special inclination for Community ophthalmology services. The Fellowship at the Royal College of Surgeons was truly a proud feather to his cap, he concluded.
Felicitating Dr Mohan Rajan for his glorious achievement, Dr SS Badrinath said, Dr Mohan Rajan held Sankara Nethralaya close to his heart and conveyed his sincere thanks for his sincere fund raising efforts.
Introducing Dr K Jagadeesan, Chairman, K J Hospital Research & Post Graduate Centre, Dr P S Srimathi, Retd Prof, HOD – Pediatric Cardio Thoracic Surgery, Institute of Child Health and hospital for children and currently at K J Hospitals, said Dr Jagadeesan was a man of many firsts. He had to his credit of being a premier in concept of corporate hospitals in India and recipient of Dr BC Roy National Award in recognition of best services in the field of Medical organizations and Institutions, Life time Achievement Awards in recognition of his pioneering services. He held the prestigious position of being Honorary Overseas Advisor to Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, UK since 1990. Dr K. Jagadeesan had been in the forefront in creating a personalized vaccine, a crucial tool in helping patients by injecting a vaccine of their own tumor, a new approach to cancer treatment.
In his address, Dr Jagadeesan, traced the genesis of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons founded by Dr Peter Lowe after receiving a Royal Charter from King James VI in 1599. He had a high word of praise for Dr SS Badrinath, a visionary in ophthalmology and how he felt impressed to recommend Dr Mohan Rajan’s outstanding candidature for the FRCS.
Introducing the Chief Guest of the Day, Dr Iraianbu IAS, Prinicipal Secretary/ Commissioner, Department of Economics and Statistics, Government of Tamilnadu, Dr T S Surendran, Vice Chairman, remarked in a lighter vein that all of us strived hard for both இரை – prey, daily food and இறை – divine அன்பு – affection, bliss. He was an icon of simplicity and versatility. His oration on management and living and writings inspired many youngsters, he said.
In his address, the Chief Guest Dr. Iraianbu started by inquiring “Why do we honour a person already honoured”, to which he laid a simple logic saying “honouring a man already honoured makes one feel honoured, elated and rejoiced”. He added that Dr Mohan Rajan fully deserved the glorious fellowship conferred on him for the sheer dint of hard work and perseverance to have a set a remarkable record of 80,000 cataract, 6000 glaucoma, 10,000 Vitreo Retinal and 5,000 penetrating keroplasty surgeries to his credit. He went on to add interesting aspects of human eye that contributed to 80% of information receipts and the importance of eye brows that served as a protection to the eyes and played an important role in non-verbal communication. Dr. Iraianbu added that the development of LASIK enhanced tuning of the eyes to focus far off ships during warfare and how the dilated pupil of models made advertisements impressive.
Dr Iraianbu stated he was impressed that India, particularly hospitals in the South, such as Sankara Nethralaya contributed to Medical Tourism by serving people all over the globe and through the length and breadth of the country.
In his acceptance speech, a visibly emotional Dr Mohan Rajan, quoting former President Abdul Kalam “to traverse the road less travelled”, said, for the Alumni of Sankara Nethralaya, the “path to travel” had already been clearly laid by their Guru Dr SS Badrinath. He went on to add that by dedication of the alma mater, the institution had grown par excellence. The ethical standards maintained by Sankara Nethralaya were to be emulated by one and all, for excelling in the field of Ophthalmology. He remarked that Dr SS Badrinath had brought in classism to Ophthalmology and history would chronicle the field as “before” and “after” Dr Badrinath.
Dr Mohan Rajan emphasised the contribution from philanthropists was the need of the hour for colossal projects of Sankara Nethralaya both at Chennai and Kolkata, to serve the society.
The grand evening concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Shikha Rajesh Bassi, Deputy Director, Neuro Ophthalmology Department.
The World of Vitreo-Retina salutes its doyens!
It was wonderful co-incidence and a moment to cherish, rejoice and celebrate as Dr. SS.Badrinath, Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, Dr.P.N.Nampermalsamy, Chairman Emeritus, Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai and Dr. P.N. Nagpal, Founder& Director, Retina Eye Foundation, Ahmedabad the three pioneers and grandmasters in the field of vitreo-retina, who had dedicated their life to teaching, training, research and practising of this most critical branch of ophthalmology entered their Platinum Anniversary -75th year of their momentous lives. The entire vitreo-retina fraternity in the country joined hands to exhibit their respect, regard, gratitude and admiration to the leading lights in the field of vitreo-retina. They gave a collective standing ovation to the three stalwarts and their contribution to their specialization by observing ‘Celebrate Retina Celebrate Life 2015’ as an event of real time learning and exchange of the latest developments in the field. The titans being honoured participated in the Scientific Programs of the Conference held at the Sahara Star Mumbai and Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital in Mumbai between the 15th – 17th of May 2015 and shared their valuable thoughts on the subject and in general with the gathering.
The Sankara Nethralaya Academy conducted a session on Effective Communication skills for Healthcare Managers
Dr. MV.Ashok Babu at the Session
The Sankara Nethralaya Academy, an education arm of Sankara Nethralaya, Medical Research Foundation conducted a niche, session on “Effective Communication Skills for Healthcare Managers on Monday, 18 May 2015.
The session started with a warm welcome note and the need for supervisory skills in professional managers by Shri A. Mahalingam, Deputy Registrar of the institution, he thanked the participants for the overwhelming response and confidence in the institution and wished them a wonderful and successful session.
The lively session was conducted by Dr. M.V.Ashok Babu, a qualified trainer with easy to understand examples and video clippings.
The session covered the important aspect of non-verbal communication and the messages that are conveyed through gestures and body language. It emphasized the importance of feedback to make sure the message conveyed by the sender of message is properly understood by the receiver. The various types of feedback phrases were discussed.
The rules and principles of effective communication were dealt in detail. The importance of using assertive language for communication within the organization and the necessity to understand the psychology of the receiver was emphasized. The difference between reaction and response to a situation was clearly put forth.
A sub topic on the basic psychology and expectations of patients from a doctor was explained, with special focus on dealing with subjective healthcare cues. The changing realities of the mental state of the patients of today and in the future, when compared to the past, made the participants ponder on the techniques to be adopted to make impactful communication to patients.
Finally the session was concluded with tips on how to use communication for providing good patient service and experience.
At the end of the session, Shri A Mahalingam also used the opportunity to make a quick announcement about the forthcoming 12 weekends Certificate Course in Healthcare Quality Management – 2nd batch to be conducted in collaboration with Association of healthcare Providers India (AHPI), New Delhi and ACME Consulting (Healthcare Quality Consultancy) Chennai and to be commencing from 18th July 2015 and requested to visit www.thesnacademy.ac.in to know more and online application.
+2 Students Learn high career choices in health care sector
A career counselling session was organized by The Sankara Nethralaya Academy (TSNA),a unit of Medical Research Foundation at its Academy campus Vanagaram, Chennai – 600 095 on 16.05.2015, Saturday to facilitate students completing their schooling to discover new and exciting academic options, a large number of young people had an opportunity to discover a whole range of courses in the healthcare sector that could help them build a great career.
Students & Parents at the career counselling session
Welcoming the gathering, Mr. A Mahalingam, Deputy Registrar, explained the service orientation under the visionary leadership of the Living Legend Padma Bhushan Dr. SS Badrinath. He briefed on the educational facilities and collaborations of the academy, for offering a purposeful education to the society, he also highlighted that the healthcare service sector is booming and that there are abundant career opportunities here, which he explained has made many institutions like the Sankara Nethralaya Academy to offer specialized courses in this sector to prepare students aspiring to be a part of this high growth industry
Dr MV Ashok Babu Expert in Clinical Counseling Addressing gathering said the medical sector is able to make up about 40 per cent of the staffing requirement required for paramedical personnel, but there is a need for qualified paramedical support personnel to help augment the growth of the healthcare sector which is evolving very fast. Responding to queries about the scope of these courses, he said, “Students can not only be employed, but also study ahead till the doctorate level and be exposed to the manufacturing sector as well, if they take up the allied health science courses offered.”
Prof. S Ramani, Principal, further added that employability can be enriched only by acquiring knowledge, skills and attitude, over and above the qualifications, reinforcing the uniqueness of this academy which is approved by Healthcare Sector Skill Council (NSDC). He also detailed about the extensive scholarship schemes offered by Sankara Nethralaya for the meritorious and economically weaker students.
Dr Anuja R Singh, Manager – Optometric Education, Sankara Nethralaya Academy at the career counselling session
The Sankara Nethralaya Academy offers several courses like BSc (Medical Laboratory Technology), BSc (Ophthalmic Dispensing), Fellowship of Dispensing Opticians, BBA (Hospital & Healthcare Management) and Diploma in Ophthalmic Nursing Assistant. The details and curriculum of these courses were explained by the concerned faculty heads Dr. Anuja R Singh, Dr. Vandhana, Mr. Senthilkumar and Ms. Renganayaki, who also outlined the career opportunities after course completion.
The program concluded with clarifications and individual counseling and commencement of admission process. Further details and applications for the course can be obtained through the academy website www.thesnacademy.ac.in
Sankara Nethralaya Academy addresses the challenges of healthcare marketing
Participants at the Healthcare Marketing Session
As part of its holistic approach to the management and delivery of healthcare and enhancing every facet of it, the Sankara Nethralaya Academy the academic arm of Sankara Nethralaya, a unit of Medical Research Foundation conducted an in-depth session on one of the most challenging and relatively untouched field of healthcare marketing. The session titled “Healthcare Marketing” was held on Saturday, 09th May 2015.
Healthcare marketing assumes critical importance in view of the corporatization of health care delivery, the emergence of India especially Chennai as a preferred national and international health care destination, the entry of a large number of players into the healthcare arena, greater awareness and rising expectation of patients and their families have made health care delivery a highly exciting and competitive activity.
It should be borne in mind that health care as a service was not professionally marketed in the past. As a sunrise activity healthcare marketing does not have precedents to learn from, it is also governed by norms and ethics laid down by the Health Ministry.
The session was conducted by highly qualified and experience professionals like Mr Murali Subramanian, professor of healthcare marketing, Indian Institute of Knowledge Management (IIKM) and Visiting Management faculty to Sankara Nethralaya Academy, LIBA,etc.
The session was highly informative with a high level of interactivity. The participants had lots of fun as they played various roles as a part of real-time learning. The feedback given by the participants was excellent.
Mr A. Mahalingam, the Deputy Registrar of the Sankara Nethralaya Academy took this opportunity to wish the participants for their cooperation and successful completion of this session.
Mr Mahalingam also highlighted the importance of Quality Assurance in healthcare management and informed that the Sankara Nethralaya Academy successfully completed the first batch of Certificate Course in Healthcare Quality Management in collaboration with AHPI (Association of Healthcare Providers –India), New Delhi and ACME Consulting Ltd, Chennai.
36 Candidates for onsite and online course registered from reputed healthcare institution both domestic and international and successfully completed the same. Now the SN Academy invites applications for 2nd batch of Certificate Course in Healthcare Quality Management and refers www.thesnacademy.ac.in for more details and online registrations.
The Sankara Nethralaya Academy conducts an informative session on Healthcare Supply Chain
The Sankara Nethralaya Academy (TSNA), the academic arm of its illustrious parent institution and world class eye care provider is committed to sharing the knowledge and experience of its parent institution to enhance the overall functioning of the Medicare industry, by improving every one of its multiple facets.
It was surprising for many to know that the most contributing cost factor in healthcare is the supply chain which is normally invisible, especially with respect to the customers. The information packed session on Healthcare Supply Chain organized on 25th April 2015 commenced with the play of a video clipping on Healthcare Logistics by DHL.
Sri A Mahalingam, Deputy Registrar, TSNA welcomed the gathering and Introduced the speaker for the Healthcare Supply Chain Session.Prof. S. Ramani is having a blend of experience of more than two decades in industry and one decade in higher education. He has been associated with a wide range of functions viz. manufacturing, marketing, distribution, logistics, supply chain and information systems, which he leveraged in management education. He has worked for reputed organization like Madras Fertilizers Ltd., ICFAI and Confederation of Indian Industry and currently he is the Principal of our Sankara Nethralaya Academy
Prof. S Ramani explained various concepts pertaining to Healthcare Supply Chain, while driving home the point that in healthcare, the supply chain need to be managed both effectively and efficiently, with the sole objective of optimizing the total cost, without compromising on quality of service.
He explained Healthcare supply chain management as the management of materials like medical equipments, medical supplies like medicines, bandages, p.o.p, syringes, etc. manpower like physicians, specialists, nurses, etc. to treat the sick patient efficiently at a reasonable and affordable cost, in the shortest time, with the maximum patient’s satisfaction.
While the presentations were highly informative, combination of relevant video clippings, case study, participant activity and even a simple test, made the session highly participative and interesting.
Prof. Ramani detailed how a supply chain is the network of facilities and distribution options that performs the functions of procurement of materials, transformation of these materials into intermediate and finished products, and the distribution of these finished products to customers. He suggested that Hospitals can control cost by practising economies of scale; the most important criteria are being able to maintain value to the customers, with cost reduction.
He concluded that we have one winning strategy i.e. to win the overall trust of the customer by OPTIMIZING SATISFACTION through two approaches viz. Enhancing (Customer) Satisfaction and Eliminating (Customer) Dissatisfaction.
The session was well appreciated by all the participants who felt that it added value to their knowledge.
At the end of the session, Mr A Mahalingam also announced that the next session will be Healthcare Marketing on 09.05.2015 by Shri Murali Subramanian, professor of healthcare marketing, Indian Institute of Knowledge Management (IIKM) & Visiting Faculty for Sankara Nethralaya Academy’s Healthcare Management programs.