WORLD CLASS EYE CARE, FOR ALL

Team work, dedication, a spirit of charity, equal treatment for all... Thats Sankara Nethralaya. Inspired by a divine mission, Dr. S.S. Badrinath, the founder, has put Chennai on the international Medical Map. To know more about its phenomenal success, Chennaibest.com spoke to Medical Director, Dr.T.S.Surendran.

The motivation ...

Dr. S.S. Badrinath operated the Paramacharya (seer) of Kanchi. The Acharya spoke of the need to create a hospital with a missionary spirit. Inspired by this mission, Dr.Badrinath, started Sankara Nethralaya, with just ten people in 1978. Dr.Badrinath felt that team and group performance were better than individual pursuit. Today, there are nearly 1,000 committed people working here. We get nearly 1,500 patients per day.

It is mainly the academic atmosphere that makes it possible. We have a good library here, with nearly 5,000 books. The doctors are sent abroad every second or third year for research and training. These inputs have made it a premier institution for ophthalmology in the world. We give the same kind of treatment to all our patients.

Significant achievements ...

Sankara Nethralaya is renowned across the world for its Vitreoretinal Surgery. The retina theatre here has so far conducted nearly 22 lakh operations. It is the highest number in the world so far. We have a wait list of 40 patients every day. We undertake nearly 30-35 retinal surgeries everyday. I would say that this institution is an excellent tertiary care centre. It is considered a Mecca in ophthalmology. Comprehensive eye care that we offer here is the major factor. We have all the specialities in ophthalmology; 12 of them under one roof. That's a really big achievement.

The ISO 9002 certification ...

That speaks volumes about the importance we attach to quality management. Sankara Nethralaya was accorded an ISO 9002 certification on December 19th, 1997 by KPMG Quality registrar, USA. We initiated the TQM (Total Quality Management) concept in 1998. In Asia, at least, we have set the standard. We do get and depend on good feedback from patients.

We have state-of-the-art research in Cataract, molecular biochemistry and virology.

One of the primary objectives of Sankara Nethralaya, has been to ensure quality ophthalmic care to the economically weaker sections in the society. We will extend free treatment to those with an income less than Rs.1, 750/- per month. At present, nearly 49% of the outpatients and 38% of the in-patients are being given free treatment, irrespective of caste, creed and religious considerations.

Well. As an expert in Paediatric eye care, I feel, nearly 2-4% of cases suffer from eye ailment. Screening is necessary for squints. The most common misconception relates to false squint.

In Chennai, Refractive errors and Cataract are still the most common ailments. Myopia is on the rise. One important feature here is the influx of patients from West Bengal. From January to November this year, we had nearly 15,141 patients. We performed nearly 2,555 in-patient surgeries for those hailing from West Bengal alone.

No. As far as ophthalmology is concerned, I do not see any role for traditional medicine.

He (Palkhivala) came here for treatment and visited the general ward. He was very impressed about the house keeping here. And also the idea of hiring consultants on a salary. None of the doctors here have a private practice. They receive salaries. Then he decided to contribute his savings worth nearly Rs 2 crore to the institution. That is how it has been.

No. I think most of it is still very expensive. The institution gets donations from various parts of the world. Philanthropists fund a lot. The charisma of Dr. Badrinath has helped a long way. So that makes it possible to still make eye care affordable to the masses.

Sankara Nethralaya - A Profile

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