Sankara Nethralaya News
Pediatric Floor Dedicated in the Memory of Shri N Sankar, Chairman, The Sanmar Group
The 5th floor (MAHYCO block) on which the Department of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus is located was dedicated to the memory of one of our greatest supporters, Late Shri N Sankar, Chairman, The Sanmar Group, on Monday, 17th April 2023. The illustrious Shri N. Sankar, Chairman of The Sanmar Group, had visited Sankara Nethralaya several times and had made meaningful contributions including the SN – Sanmar Centre of Excellence for Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SeNSCE SJS), and the Refractive Surgery / Laser Vision Correction Centre at Jagadguru Kanchi Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Nethra Nilayam (JKCN Complex). He had always shown a keen interest in Sankara Nethralaya’s community and outreach services, and generously supported the varied projects implemented by our institution.
Among the distinguished guests who gathered to commemorate the occasion were Shri N. Ram, Director, THG Publishing Private Limited, who unveiled the name board. Shri Vijay Sankar, Deputy Chairman, The Sanmar Group, son of Shri Sankar, Smt. Madhurika, a venture investor and writer (daughter), Smt. Chandra Sankar, wife of Shri N. Sankar, and Shri Kumar, his brother were present at the unveiling. Vijay Sankar recollected his family’s long relationship with Sankara Nethralaya’s noble service to humanity. He lauded the institution for continually striving to light up the lives of deserving patients.
In 2021, Shri Vijay Sankar had inaugurated SeNSCE SJS, in the Sanmar family tradition of reaching out to those in need.
Shri N Sankar’s philanthropy was instilled in him by his father, Sri K. S Narayanan, who had dedicated the Mrs. Madhuram Narayanan Surgical Complex at JKCN to the nation on 12th December 2001.
Mrs. Madhuram Narayanan Charitable Trust and Foundation were also strong supporters of Medical Research Foundation. The then trustees of these charitable entities – Sri K.S. Narayanan, his Sri N Sankar and Sri N Kumar, had always been magnanimous in providing aid for sustained comprehensive healthcare.
Sankara Nethralaya’s paediatric department is a highly specialized, niche and advanced eye care facility offering expert diagnosis and treatment for the entire gamut of ophthalmic problems in children belonging to the age groups from ‘just born’ to ‘teens’ as well as for adults with strabismus.
Sankara Nethralaya Hospital Safety Committee celebrates Hospital and Patient Safety Awareness Week
The Hospital Safety Committee was formed in 2021 with the aim to prevent and reduce risks, errors and harm that occur during provision of care. The basis of Hospital Safety is to continually improve ourselves based on the learnings from near-miss errors and no-harm events. One of the ways to create awareness and engage employees in the process of increasing patient and employee safety within the institution is to celebrate Hospital Safety Awareness Week (15th to 18th March) with four days packed with informative programmes.
15th March: The theme – Nutrition and Exercise for Fitness
A painting contest to educate everyone on the theme “Eat Healthy and Stay Healthy” and A session on ‘Tips for zero oil cooking’ conducted by Dr. N. Anuradha, Principal, Elite School of Optometry, and Dr. Sumita Agarkar, Deputy Director, Dept. of paediatric Ophthalmology, was very well-received by the health conscious SN family. A yoga session to teach a few breathing exercises invigorated everyone at the end of a busy day.
16th March: The second day’s theme was “Health is Wealth”
Starting off with a health clinic for employees in the morning, the much-awaited event – the pattimandram on “Parambariyam vs Naveena Unnavu” was a spicy topic. Team Parambariyam comprised of Dr. Mani Baskaran, Deputy Director –Glaucoma Services, Dr. Niveditha Narayanan, Senior Consultant – C U Shah Cornea Services, Ms. Saranya .S, Microbiology lab, Mr. Jayachandran. D, Department of Patient Services and Team Naveena Unnavu comprised of Dr. Kavitha Kalaivani, Senior Consultant, Paediatric Ophthalmology Services, with Dr. N. Anuradha, Principal, Elite School of Optometry, Ms. Sudha Mohan, Manager – HR, Ms. Janani, Optometrist, respectively. The event was judged by Dr. T. S. Surendran. The teams were evenly matched and the official winner was declared as Team Parambariyam.
Dr. Nisar Sonam Poonam, Associate Consultant, Department of Orbit, Oculoplasty, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Services, provided very helpful “Wabi – Sabi” beauty-related tips to beat the summer heat. Aarogya Chennai/ Suswastha Kolkata mobile photography competition was conducted simultaneously.
17th March: The third day’s theme was “Safety First is Safety Always”
A Treasure Hunt using Safety Clues started from MAHYCO Block -1st Floor, led to the fourth floor, then ended on the first floor of V. G. Block. In this interesting game, ninety nine employees participated to search for the safety equipment, which are kept at various floors and used during medical emergencies.
The annual “Horror Show – Spot the Mistakes” was an educational opportunity for ninety one employees to brush up on their knowledge of finding out errors not only in the hospital but also in general safety management (wearing helmet, no drunk driving, avoiding going over the speed limit, etc.).
The session on “Tips on Investment” by Dr. Kumaresh. B. S., helped our employees in sound financial planning for their later years.
The valedictory function was hosted by Dr. V. V. Jaichandran with Dr. Girish S. Rao, President, officiating along with Dr. Ronnie George, President & Director of Research, Director of Glaucoma Services, and Dr. Pramod Bhende, Director, Vitreoretinal Services. Dr. V. V. Jaichandran presented the annual report for the year – March 2022 to Feb 2023.
The Rolling Trophy for the Best Safety – Department was shared by Dept of Nursing and Dept. of Medical Records.
The Rolling Trophy for Best Safety – Branch was won by SN Main.
Mr. Senthil Kumar. M – Department of Finance – IP Billing was awarded as the Best Star performers (Male) of the year 2022 – 2023; while Ms. V. Kowsalya – Department of Nursing – Staff Nurse, was awarded as the Best star performers (Female) of the year 2022- 2023.
The best 7 catches of near miss (Mar’ 2022 – Feb’ 2023) were identified and the severity of the incidents were briefed by Dr. VVJ. All the 7 staff were recognized with prizes.
Dr. Girish S. Rao, Dr. Pramod Bhende, and Dr. Ronnie George gave away the prizes to the Star Safety campaigners and the winners of the competitions.
TSNA ORGANISES THE FBDO CERTIFICATION CEREMONY!
It was a day of celebrations at TSNA on 18th March 2023, when eight students of TSNA were certified as Fellows of British Dispensing Opticians by Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO), UK.
The FBDO Diploma started as a collaborative program in association with ABDO, UK, in the year 2011. 181 students have so far enrolled and benefitted from the Program.TSNA conducts two formats of the Program – one a 3 year Blended Learning Program and the other, a one year top up course for fully qualified Optometrists.
On 18th of March 2023, 8 candidates received FBDO Diplomas in all, out of which 6 candidates had completed the 3 year Diploma and 2 the One year program.
1.Prerna Mhaske
2.Siddharth Karthikeyan (In absentia)
3.Vimal (In absentia)
4.Dinakaran Vishnupriyan
5.Bharathi priya
6.Ravi Prakash
7.Rakesh Vedachalam
8.Mayuri
World Optometry Day Celebrations at TSNA
The Sankara Nethralaya Academy celebrated World Optometry Day 2023 by organizing multiple events, over a period of two weeks.
In the first part celebrated on 18th March 2023, Saturday, the focus was on knowledge dissemination, fun activities by students and felicitating achievers.
Mr. Ramachandran Parthasarathy, Business Advisor to Retail Eye Wear industry and Consultant – Hoya, delivered a talk on opportunities for Optometrists post education. He explained that there is a need for good quality eye care practice in Tier 3 & Tier 4 cities and how the Graduates and Post-graduates could fill in the gap by opening lucrative practices equipped with the skill set and knowledge they possess.
Mr. Sankarraman, from Hoya India Private Limited, spoke on the role of ophthalmic lenses in myopia management. The M. Optom students presented a skit on various roles and responsibilities performed by an Optometrist. Following this, the students who had meticulously prepared posters for the Low Vision awareness month in February were felicitated by the Chief Guest Mr. Ramachandran.
The Program concluded with high-tea and student interaction with the chief guest.
In the second part of the World Optometry Day 2023 celebrations, TSNA partnered with the Indian Optometric Association (IOA), an apex body involved in the promotion of Optometry as a Profession, to organize an awareness rally in Edward Elliots Beach in Besant Nagar, Chennai.
About 150 students participated in the rally, which was flagged off by Brigadier Rajaram and graced by his wife Mrs Geethanjali Rajaram. The students held placards depicting the various roles and responsibilities performed by Optometrist which includes prescribing Low Vision devices, working as a Pediatric and Geriatric Optometrist, Occupational Optometrist, Orthoptics practitioner, etc.
Brigadier Rajaram, gave a brief speech about how Optometrists play an indispensable role in eye care.
The event concluded with a sumptuous breakfast sponsored by The Indian Optometric Association. TSNA thanks Mr. Mahendran, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Adyar and the Asst. Commissioner of Police, Adyar, for their support in conducting this program.
We wish to express our sincere thanks to the Management of TSNA / SN and the office bearers of IOA, including Mr. Subodh Dixit, President, Mr. Rajeev Prasad, Secretary-General, and Mr.Chandrasekar, Sothern India Representative.
Sankara Nethralaya Celebrates Women’s Day
This year’s Women’s Day celebrations at Sankara Nethralaya were held in the Sri V.D. Swami Auditorium, 8th March 2023. The ladies of SN were gathered for an evening full of fun and games, seamlessly organized by the HR Department headed by Ms. Sudha Mohan, the event included a quiz, a blindfold makeup session, and a hairdressing competition.
A very interesting quiz programme ‘On Women, By Women’ was hosted by Dr. V. V. Jaichandran, Deputy Director, Dept. of Anesthesiology, with Mr Suresh Kumar, GM, Operations and Administration, judging the friendly and focussed competitors.
Passing-the-parcel was conducted by Dr. Harini R., Assistant Professor, Clinical Lab. To hunt for talent, Dr. Anuja R. Singh, Principal of The Sankara Nethralaya Academy, conducted mehendi, kolam, flower tying, gift wrapping, hair styling and blind-fold make-up events. This in turn brought out the creativity of our female employees as well as nurturing enthusiastic audience participation.
The games were designed with the aim to include all the employees gathered for the celebrations; with audience joining in, the evening was a rare chance for the Women of Sankara Nethralaya to let their hair down and take a break from their hectic roles at home as well as at work.
The prizes were distributed by Dr. V. V. Jaichandran, Dr. Shikha Bassi, Dr. Durga Priyadharshini, and Dr. G. Suganeswari.
Sankara Nethralaya congratulates to all the Prize Winners:
Women’s Day Prize Winners
Quiz
First Prize Winners
- Dr. Srilekha – Research Associate, ICMR – Genetics Lab
- Ms. Harshavardhini G – Senior Research Fellow –– DBT -Genetics Lab
Second Prize Winners
- Ms. Brughanya S – Project Associate – Genetic Lab
- Ms. Chitralekha S D – Research Optometrist – Projects – Carl ZEISS
Third Prize Winners
- Ms. Sneha S – Optometrist
- Ms. Sowmiya E – Optometrist
Audience Prize Recipients
- Ms. Punitham R. – Senior Manager – Laboratory Services – Bio Chemistry Lab
- Ms. Divya Mery T – Project Coordinator – Google Glaucoma Project
- Ms. Vijayalakshmi Saravanan – Deputy Manager – Nursing – Wards
- Ms. Vennila – Optometrist
Participation Prize Recipients
- Dr. Dhanurekha L – Senior Scientist –Molecular Diagnositic / Micro Biology Lab
- Ms. Gayathri V – Junior Executive -Micro Biology Lab
- Ms. Sridevi M – Optometrist
- Ms. Mahalakshmi G – Senior Optometrist
Winners of Game – 2
First Prize Ms. Sajisha V P – Optometrist
Second Prize Ms. Punitham – Senior Manager – Bio Chemistry Lab
Third Prize Ms. Swathi S
Winners of Game – 3
Kolam Ms. Vennila – Optometrist
Hair doing Ms. Swetha C P – Optometrist
Make up Ms. Harini I – Project Assistant – LCIF Project
Mehandi Dr. Sharada R – Sr. Principal Scientist/Associate Prof, In-charge – Bio Chemistry Lab
Flower tying Ms. Jayanthi S – Lens Coordinator
Gift Wrapping Ms. Divya M – Lab Technician – Micro Biology Lab
21st Dr E Vaithilingam Memorial Scientific Session March 4 & 5, 2023
Dr E Vaithilingam (fondly called Dr EV) was a pioneer in the field of Optometry. He served as the Principal of Elite School of Optometry from February 1991 – March 2001. Dr EV was well known for his technical expertise, innovations, and enthusiasm in the field of optometry. He was an ardent researcher with over 100 publications. He was the mainstay of the Elite School and it is to his credit that ESO has obtained an international reputation. In 2002, in memory of the late Principal Dr E Vaithilingam, ESO initiated a national scientific session to encourage optometrists and optometry students from all over India to present their research work. Every year, the quality and quantity of presentations have been increasing exponentially.
This year the 21st Dr E Vaithilingam Memorial Scientific Session was conducted in-person after three long years of online sessions. The session was held on March 4 and 5, 2023 in the VD Swami Auditorium, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai. We had over 300 participants from about 20 different Optometry institutions across the country. This year’s EVM session was organized under the most important theme of “Optometry 2030 Insight – Elevate, Integrate and Activate”. On Day 1, We had 2 key note speakers.
Dr Prema Chande – Head: Department of Optometry, Lotus College of Optometry gave the keynote lecture on ‘2030 Insight: Elevate’ and Prof B R Shamanna – University of Hyderabad gave the other keynote lecture on ‘2030 Insight: Integrate’. Following which a panel discussion was conducted on ‘2030 Insight: Activate’. The panellists for the session were: Mr Govindakrishnan (Nethrodaya), Dr Anuradha Narayanan (ESO), Dr Rishi Raj Borah (Orbis), Adv.Vijayakumar, Ms Lakshmi Shinde (Optometry Council of India). The session was moderated by Dr Rashima Asokan.
On this day, ESO launched a new fellowship program named Fellowship in Community Optometry (FCO), which will comprise asynchronous online and in-person hands on training on community outreach services including School eye screening, adult comprehensive outreach, occupational optometry services, training, research basics and education. The fellowship was launched by Dr T S Surendran (Chairman), Dr Girish S Rao (President), Dr Smita Praveen (Director – Academics), Dr Rishi Raj Borah (orbis) along with the key note speakers.
On Day 2, we had a brief session on ‘Optometry and Vision Science – Unanswered Questions’. Three important questions were addressed by the speakers. Dr Pavan Verkicharla, Vision Scientist, Head – Myopia Centre at LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad addressed the question on ‘Why are my scientific papers getting rejected?’. Dr Anuradha Narayanan, Principal – Elite School of Optometry addressed the question on ‘Are we equipping our students for independent optometry practice?’. Dr Rashima Asokan, Head – Occupational Optometry Services and Vision Enhancement Clinic, Sankara Nethralaya addressed the question on ‘Should Preventive/Promotive be the key practice area of optometrists?’. The session was moderated by Ms Ramya S, Doctoral Researcher – ESO, Sankara Nethralaya.
Besides this, 3 important workshops were conducted on Basics of Binocular Vision, Contact lens and Special Children which was attended by 30 students. The workshops were well received by all the delegates who had in-person hands on training by the specialists in the field. The session also had 2 sponsor talks by Mr Shankar Raman – Hoya and Ms Ananthalakshmi – Essilor.
This year we received over 160 abstracts from the optometry fraternity across the country. These abstracts were screened by 13 external evaluators across the globe. Based on their evaluation, a total of 13 original research by regulars and 8 original research by students were selected along with 10 case reports for oral presentation and 76 abstracts were selected for poster presentations. From the 76 posters, 25 were selected for rapid fire presentations. All the presentations were evaluated by 6 internal and 6 external evaluators from various institutions. At the End of Day 2, the awards for various categories were announced by Dr Anuradha Narayanan, Principal – ESO.
The travel grants sponsored by Essilor were given to 12 students attending the conference.
Achutha Institute of Optometry, Erode
- Ren varughese mammen
- Archana S
Dr Agarwala Institute of Optometry
- Hariharan N
- Abirami M
- Hema Nivetha R
Lotus College of Optometry
- Khan Nuzhat
- Kareena Nagpal
- Alfiya bhayani
- Afsheen Rais
Manipal College of Health Professions
- Nishitha G
- Stelyna Joylin
SRM Institute of Science and Technology
- Bhavani C
The winners for various categories are as mentioned below:
Best Case report: Ms Nisha Jha – ‘Just touch me and see – a case of congenital corneal anaesthesia’ – Sankara Nethralaya Kolkata
Best Poster – Student category: Ms Shobhana Parab – ‘Knowledge, Attitude and Practices among pest control workers’ – Lotus College of Optometry
Best Poster – Regular category: Mr Janakiraman P – ‘Assessing diurnal variation of ocular blood flow in normal and glaucoma suspects’ – Elite School of Optometry
Best Oral presentation – Student category: Ms Gayathri B – ‘Cost Analysis of an adult comprehensive eye examination program from Tamil Nadu’ – Elite School of Optometry
Best Oral presentation – Regular Category: Ms Mobashir Fatimah – Impact of Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) spectacle lenses on quality of life of children – Perspectives of children and their parents – Elite School of Optometry
The two-day Optometry fest was well received by all the delegates with their enthusiastic and dynamic participation.
TSNA conducts Continuous Education Series on “Emerging opportunities in Healthcare Analytics”
The Sankara Nethralaya Academy (TSNA), Faculty of Management Studies organised a Continuing Education series program on “Emerging opportunities in Healthcare Analytics” for its postgraduate students pursuing MBA- Hospital Management, Master of Hospital Administration, and Master of Optometry. MBA students and Faculty from our collaborative partner Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science also attended the half day program held on 16th Feb 2023. Dr. R. Chandrasekhar Menon, Founder of SwiftMBA & Dean- Academics at Global Institute of Healthcare Analytics, USA was the Chief resource person.
Dr. Anuja R Singh, Principal TSNA welcomed the gathering and felicitated the Chief Guest. Mr.G.Senthilkumar, Asst. Professor & HOD- Management Studies, recalled his association with Prof Menon and introduced the faculty and the theme of Healthcare Analytics to the future hospital managers.
Prof Menon, an accomplished administrator and a distinguished academician, has been one of the main proponents of this program for several years. His related experience in analytics includes B.Braun AG, a German-based company. During his illustrious career, Prof Menon worked in Germany, Tai, Singapore, Malaysia, and many African countries anchoring sales and marketing to Asia Pacific Region and Gulf countries. He has taught various practical management courses for over 130 large corporations in India besides educational institutions.
During the session, Prof. Menon highlighted the various opportunities in Healthcare analytics, which is the nervous system of IT-enabled Healthcare. The Healthcare industry is moving from volume-based reimbursement to value-based reimbursement that is designed to achieve higher quality, lower costs, and a better patient experience. Also he highlighted the concepts of text analytics and patient-centric healthcare. To succeed, healthcare providers are forming accountable care organizations (ACOs) and restructuring their care delivery systems. He exhorted the students to develop professional networking skills.
The forum concluded with a QA session followed by a Vote of Thanks by Ms. Hansini Priya, Lecturer, Management Studies. Overall, 75 students and 10 Faculty members participated in this program.
Sankara Nethralaya bags International Patient Safety Award for “Excellence in Culture of Safety Design”
Sankara Nethralaya congratulates the Hospital Safety Committee (HSC) on creating awareness and culture of safety (for patients and staff) in the organization.
Out of 200 nominations from 70 organizations across India and all around the world, Sankara Nethralaya, won the International Patient Safety Award (IPS) in ‘Excellence in Culture of Safety Design’ category, for successfully implementing the “Recognizing Incident Reporting System,” which promotes patient safety and safety culture in the institution’s nine centres across India.
On behalf of the whole SN family, Dr. V. V. Jaichandran received this award from Dr. Jonathan Perlin, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Joint Commission (JCI) and Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Group of Hospitals at the 9th International Patient Safety Conference, 2023 held on 13-14 February, Taj Palace, New Delhi.
The “Recognizing Incident Reporting System” (RIRS) recognizes the need to report errors that are caught before reaching the patients and/or staff, so that the patients’ safety can be significantly improved within the institution.
The Hospital Safety Committee (HSC) has successfully created the culture of heightened awareness among the employees about the RIRS system over the past two years. Those reporting near misses, were acknowledged during the monthly HSC meeting by awarding certificates and their photographs were displayed at Main Portal Webpage and in the in-house app (SN Health Bytes).
During SN’s Hospital Safety Week annual celebration, winners were announced for the following categories – Best Male & Female Safety Campaigner, 5 BEST Catches, Rolling Trophy for Best Department and Branch. The RIRS system also aims to inculcate a sense of accomplishment and ownership among the SN family as they are involved directly in the hospital safety programme.
Inauguration of Amiya Kumar Ghosh Vision-Aid Resource Centre – Vision Enhancement Clinic, SN- Rajarhat, Newtown
The Amiya Kumar Ghosh Vision-Aid Resource Centre – Vision Enhancement Clinic (VEC), SN- Rajarhat, Newtown was inaugurated on 31st December 2022 by Col Tapas Saha Roy, Medical Superintendent, SNK – Rajarhat. This Vision Enhancement Clinic is a joint collaboration with Vision Aid and was dedicated in memory of Shri Amiya Kumar Ghosh of Kolkota by his family in India, USA, and Australia.
This new centre is the only one of its kind in the Eastern part of India and its aim is to restore optimal vision function to patients through early intervention. Mrs Sapna Saxena, Donor, inaugurated the centre. The importance of such a centre to serve the patients in the Eastern parts of India was pointed out during the event.
The event was attended by Mr Arijit Ghosh and Mr Bijan Mukhopadhyay, donors, Mr V L Narasimhan, Executive Director of Vision Aid India, and Mr Ankit Deb, Vision Aid Volunteer. Also present were Sankara Nethralaya family, Kolkata kDr Sujatha Guha, Medical Director, Dr Suchetana Mukherjee, Deputy Director, Rajarhat, Col Tapas Saha Roy, Medical Superintendent, Ms Bony Das, Manager Administration, Rajarhat, and Mrs Payel Das Ghatak, Head of Department of Optometry.
A Well-trained Vision Rehabilitation Specialist guides patients on visual stimulation and developmental therapies, and treat a variety of visual impairments such as visual information perception, visual behaviours, visual acuity and eye-coordination, and eye movement (saccadic and pursuit).
Vision Rehabilitation is intended to improve the quality of life of many patients with visual impairment and other brain dysfunctions.
The Vision Enhancement Clinic is located at Sankara Nethralaya, New Town, (Premises No 253333,Plot No – DJ/16 ,Action Area : 1D. New Town, Rajarhat, Kolkata).
NAME: DESIGNATION
Mr Arijit Ghosh: Donor
Mrs Sapna Saxena: Donor
Mr Bijan Mukhopadhyay: Donor
Mr V L Narasimhan: Executive Director of Vision Aid India
Mr Ankit Deb: Vision Aid Volunteer
Dr Sujatha Guha: Medical Director Kolkata
Dr Suchetana Mukherjee: Deputy Director Rajarhat
Col Tapas Saha Roy: Medical Superintendent
Ms Bony Das: Manager Administration Rajarhat
Mrs Payel Das Ghatak: Head of Department Optometry kolkata
Mr Venkata Ramanan Ramasethu: Academic Incharge Optometry kolkata
Ms Shalini Sen: Optometrist
Mr Anik Sarkar: Optometrist
Dr. Radhakrishnan, Retired IPS Presides At The Republic Day Celebrations 2023.
Sankara Nethralaya joined our nation’s 74th Republic Day celebrations with great enthusiasm and fanfare along with the senior management, consultants, staff, students of Sankara Nethralaya’s various educational institutions and their children at our main campus.
Ms. Sujatha Vishwanath, SWAN (SN Women’s Auxiliary) Trustee warmly welcomed the gathering, and invited the Chief Guest Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Retired IPS officer and other dignitaries Dr. Girish S. Rao, President, Medical Research Foundation, Dr. T. S. Surendran, Chairman, and Mr. G. Ramachandran, Hony. Secretary & Treasurer, onto the stage. With 4 decades of meritorious service in the Indian Police Service, it was befitting for Dr. Radhakrishnan, the esteemed guest to unfurl the flag, followed by the ceremonial rendering of the National Anthem. He inspected the Guard of Honour presented by the ever vigilant SN’s security personnel accompanied by Mr. Chellasamy I. K., Chief Security Officer.
Introducing the Chief Guest, Dr. T. S. Surendran spoke of his long years of association with him as a Docto, as well as a personal friend. He highlighted his achievements in his long illustrious career to the rapt audience present. Also, he recollected the fond memories of meeting him along with Dr. S. S. Badrinath, when Dr. Radhakrishnan, L
Later, the Chief Guest, Dr. K. Radhakrishnan congratulated Dr. T. S. Surendran on becoming the Chairman of Sankara Nethralaya and also cherished the brotherly bond he had shared with him. . He praised Sankara Nethralaya for its yeomen service for the cause of vision in India on the occasion of its 74th Republic Day celebrations. He recollected how he knew Dr. Badrinath since his marriage in 1986 as his father-in-law was a close friend of Dr. S. S. Badrinath himself. He called SN as the “Mecca of Eye Treatment in South Asia” and revered how it has become a ‘Mini India’ with patients coming from all over India and from South Asian countries for treatment.
Further, Dr. K. Radhakrishnan reiterated that our fundamental rights are guaranteed to every child born in our country. We also have equal constitutional rights that were a true reflection of our culture and tradition. He advised everyone to practice equality to one another.
Dr. Nirmala Subramaniam, Emeritus Professor, Dept. of Oculoplasty received the prestigious 40 Years of Service Award from the Chief Guest with the audience giving a standing ovation. The awardee gave credit to Dr. S. S. Badrinath for bringing her into Sankara Nethralaya’s fold and also how she had learnt ophthalmology though her own expertise in the domain of plastic surgery. On this momentous occasion, she made contribution to a fund she had established for the treatment of congenital anomalies in children, which was received by Dr. Girish Rao and Dr. T. S. Surendran.
Other awards for SN employees like, longer periods of service, regular attendance and merit awards for their children were also presented on this joyous occasion.