The Economic Times Healthcare Awards 2021 awarded in Best Hospital – Ophthalmology – National category.
After being recognized as one among the ‘Best 4 Ophthalmological Institutions in the World
for Year 2021’ by Newsweek, the international news magazine, Sankara Nethralaya wins the The
Economic Times Healthcare Awards 2021 for Best Hospital – Ophthalmology on the national
level.
We thank all our consultants, nursing, staff and our supporters for their hard work and
dedication to provide total eye-care solutions of highest standards to all sections of
community in a patient-friendly environment.
Sankara Nethralaya wins The Economic Times Healthcare “Best Hospital – Ophthalmology (National)” Award
Sankara Nethralaya Congratulates Our Doctors
Several of our ophthalmologists received awards and also presented significant lectures in
their areas of specialisation at the recently concluded 79th Annual Conference of All India
Ophthalmological Society (AIOS). This was the first virtual conference (from 24th June, 2021
to 27th June, 2021) due to the ongoing pandemic.
Dr. T. S. Surendran, Vice Chairman and Director – Dept. of Paediatric Ophthalmology,
Delivered the 2nd Dr L P Agarwal Endowment Lecture on 26th June, 2021. Dr. TSS delivered a
brief overview on Sankara Nethralaya and its philosophies, our community outreach programs,
specializations, and technological achievements, including the Mobile Eye Surgical Unit
(MESU), Hospital Management System, Clinical Decision Support System, and Ophthalmic
EMR.
Dr. Jyotirmay Biswas, Director – Dept. of Ophthalmology – Uvea, won the AIOC posterior
podium award in Uvea section on 24th June, 2021 and the Rajendra Prasad Oration award
(Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Science).
Dr Rajiv Raman, Senior Consultant, Shri Bhagwan Mahavir Vitreoretinal services, received the
P Siva Reddy International Award at the Virtual AIOS meeting in June 2021 for his
significant research work in the field of Diabetic Retinopathy.
Dr. Sudharshan S, Senior Consultant, Dept. of Uvea & Intraocular Inflammation won the
AIOS-IJO Gold Award for the Year 2020 for the paper “Human immunodeficiency virus and
intraocular inflammation in the era of highly active anti-retroviral therapy – An
update”
Dr. Vineet Ratra won the International Ophthalmic Heroes of India, May 2020 for his video on
Iatrogenic Descemetorhexis during Cataract Surgery; The Intraoperative Telltale Signs and
Postoperative Management in ASCRS.
The following doctors won the IJO Honor Award for Peer Review for their outstanding quality
of reviewing:
Dr. Dhanashree Ratra, Senior Consultant, Dept. of Ophthalmology – Vitreo Retinal;
Dr. Muna P Bhende, Deputy Director, Dept. of Ophthalmology – Vitreo Retinal; and
Dr. Mohammad Shahid Alam, Consultant, Dept. of Orbit Oculoplasty – Reconstructive and
Aesthetic Services, Aditya Birla Sankara Nethralaya.
Newsweek ranks us as one of the Best Ophthalmic Centers 2021
Sankara Nethralaya has been named one of the World's Best Hospitals (specialized) 2021 for the second year in a row. We thank our ophthalmologists, patients, staff, donors, and volunteers for being a part of the mission to make affordable and quality eyecare a reality for all. We reaffirm our promise to serve the community and work against avoidable blindness.
Newsweek's high power global healthcare survey deploying leading survey agency recognizes Sankara Nethralaya as, one of the 'Best Hospitals in the World for year 2020' based on certain critical parameters
Prestigious survey by leading international magazine rates Sankara Nethralaya among the “Best 4 Ophthalmic institutions in the World”!
It came as a global quality certification for an institution with such credentials as ‘First
ISO certified eye hospital in Asia’, accredited by NABH, the highest quality certification
for health care providers in the country, rated consecutively as ‘Best Eye Hospital’ by
several prestigious national surveys, when ‘Newsweek’ the international weekly declared it
as one among the ‘Best 4 Ophthalmological Institutions in the World for Year 2020’
The survey was conducted on a global basis between September – November 2019, by Statista a
leading Research and Analysis organization and Geo Blue a trusted provider of health
insurance, especially to international tourists. The evaluation included a survey of
discharged patients, recommendations by thousands of experts including leading doctors,
hospital managers and other health care professionals, some of the key parameters taken into
consideration were patient experience, both in relation to a specific treatment undergone
and overall feel and Medical KPI (Key performance Indicators) on critical areas like quality
of treatment and hygiene levels.
The jury consisted of a team of highly distinguished health care professionals from the
world’s leading research, academics and clinical care centers from a diverse background
consisting of experts in IT usage in health care, outstanding clinicians, researchers,
health reform champions, thought leaders, patient safety and engagement experts, pioneers in
health care innovation and experts in operating non-profits. This gave the evaluation a
holistic approach, taking all the above parameters into consideration.
The global acknowledgment making SN the only ophthalmic institution in India to be featured
in the world’s best league, comes as a matter of great pride to every member of the SN
family and a befitting tribute to Dr SS.Badrinath the visionary and pioneer who founded the
institution 4 decades ago, on the 4 pillars of world class clinical care,focused research,
quality teaching and training initiatives and community care and above all as a transparent,
ethical institution run on the basis of love and service.
World’s leading service and relief organization confers its highest award on Sankara Nethralaya’s pioneer and stalwart!
The Association of Lions Clubs conferred its highest recognition and award on Dr TS
Surendran, Director-Pediatric Ophthalmology and Vice President Sankara Nethralaya, at its
regional meet held recently. It was a matter of great pride and jubilation for every member
of the Sankara Nethralaya family as their favourite, ever smiling, jovial and down to earth
TSS Sir as he is fondly referred to was honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by
Lion Vijayalakshmi Thavva, Lion K.Jeganath and Lion Ashok Mehta, in acknowledgment and high
appreciation of his dedicated service to Pediatric Ophthalmology and for being the ‘Sushruta
of Strabismus surgery’ for thousands of children and his sterling role in the crusade
against preventable blindness
The award was not only in recognition of the veteran professional’s knowledge, skills and
dedication to his profession but a strong acknowledgment and appreciation of his personal
loyalty to his institution and for being a source of inspiration to all!
The Sankara Nethralaya family salutes its beloved Dr TSS Sir and wishes him many more
accolades and honours in his professional journey
A lifelong crusader for need based health and safety in the workplace and play arena wins the highest acknowledgment for his contribution!
It is said that knowledge without humanity loses its purpose, it is only when knowledge
helps in preventing/alleviating pain, enhances quality and productivity of life and makes
the world a better place to live that it is said to have justified its existence and
fulfilled its cause
The life and achievements of Dr PP Santanam who joined the Sankara Nethralaya family as a
Guru and Guide, in his capacity as the first Principal of the Elite School of Optometry, a
role for which he was personally chosen by Dr SS.Badrinath more than 4 decades back and
continues to be a Guru to the SN family is a classic example of the above. A life spent in
pursuit of making the working place safer, more worker friendly and productive, a life
dedicated to understanding the niche health needs of various professions and sports persons
and promotion of occupational health in India through his outstanding and exemplary
contribution towards promoting healthy workplaces and his tireless efforts towards finding
‘Occupational Health’ its due place of importance and its growth both nationally and
internationally, won its richly deserved acknowledgment and honour as the Indian Association
of Occupational Health (IAOH) conferred the coveted ‘Dr C K Ramachander Memorial
Lifetime
Achievement Award’ on the veteran.
The award was presented by a distinguished team of luminaries in the field consisting of Dr
Ashish Mishra, Organizing Secretary, Dr SM Shanbag, Chairperson, Dr Seong Kyu Kang, Guest of
Honour and Professor and Chair, Dept of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Korea, Dr
Ramnik Parekh, Chief Guest and previous awardee winner of the Lifetime award, Dr Sidram K
Raut, National President and Dr Hitesh Singhala, Honorary General Secretary, at the at the
glittering inaugural ceremony of the IAOH and 70th National Conference of Occupational
Health held at Mumbai.
The Sankara Nethralaya family conveys its warm regards and respects and expresses its hearty
congratulations to its friend,supporter and Guru.
In-depth video graphic demonstration by SN’s Senior VR Surgeon wins high recognition at major topical meet
An in-depth and highly educative video by Dr Ekta Rishi, Senior Consultant at the Shri
Bhagwan Mahavir Vitro-Retinal services, showcasing a surgical solution to the twin VR
challenge of permanent keratroprosthesis and endopthalmitis, through vitrectomy, followed by
effective visual rehabilitation of the patient, was acknowledged as the ‘Best Video’ at the
28th Annual Conference of the Vitroretinal Society of India (VRSI-2019) held at Lucknow
between the 5th – 8th December 2019.
The Sankara Nethralaya family expresses it hearty congratulations and applauds Dr Ekta Rishi
on her video on a critical VR challenge, winning high recognition at a highly prestigious
meet attended by senior VR professionals from all over the country.
Leading UK University honours Sankara Nethralaya’s senior Vitroretina surgeon with a Doctorate
The Anglia Ruskin University located at Cambridge, UK is among the oldest and well known
seats of research and academics in the world and boasts of a large number of overseas
students enrolled in its wide array of programs. This high seat of learning recognizes and
honours professionals belonging to diverse fields for their sterling achievements in their
area of specialization and contribution to society through the same, with an honorary
doctorate, on its annual graduation day.
We take great pleasure and pride in sharing that the University conferred Dr Rajiv Raman,
Senior Consultant, Vitroretina Department with a Doctorate in Health Services, at its Annual
Graduation Ceremony held this year. Cambridge Network, the University’s in-house journal
referred to the awardee as ‘An internationally renowned retinal specialist, scientist and
pioneer in using Artificial Intelligence in the detection of diabetic retinopathy’.
It was a proud moment for every member of the Sankara Nethralaya family as Dr Rajiv Raman
walked up to the dais to receive the Doctorate from Professor Roderick Watson, Vice
Chancellor, Anglia Ruskin University, in a most colourful pageant held at the ‘Cambridge
Corn Exchange’ located at the centre of Cambridge, on the 14th of October 2019, to the
thunderous applause of the large gathering of 2,600 students from all over the world and
faculty members of the university.
Sankara Nethralaya family salutes its veteran VR Consultant on this coveted acknowledgement
and honour from a highly respected seat of learning and wishes him many more accolades and
honours in his journey in clinical care, research and collaborative learning.
VR team from Sankara Nethralaya bring home the Oscar in showcasing innovation in complex retinal surgery
Endophthalmatis could be the nightmare of a surgeon performing any intraocular intervention,
occurrence of this painful and highly infectious condition has been found to be higher in
cases of Keratoprosthesis than other surgical processes. Hence it is a matter of great pride
and joy to the SN family that an audio visual presentation demonstrating the successful
overcoming of this daunting and highly prevalent challenge by a team of Consultants from the
Shri Bhagwan Mahavir Department of Vitroretinal Services, being recognized with one of the
most coveted awards in the world of Retina, at one of the most prestigious topical meets.
We take great pleasure in sharing that the video on the above titled ‘Salvaging an
eye with
endophthalmatis and permanent Keratoprosthesis’ prepared jointly by Dr Ekta
Rishi and Dr
Pukhraj Rishi was awarded the ‘Rhett Buckler Award’ considered as the Oscar of the American
Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS). The award assumes special significance because video
presentations at the annual ASRS meet assume the scale of participation and competition on
par with a film festival and high emphasis is given to clarity of image and presentation,
flow and narration as much as to the depth of knowledge/skills shared.
It was a moment of triumph and joy to the SN family when Dr Ekta Rishi consultant at its
Bhagwan Mahavir department held aloft the highly impressive 8 pound 24 carat gold plated,
Oscar like statuette at the 37th Annual meeting of the American Society of Retina
Specialists (ASRS) held at the Hyatt Regency, Chicagoi, Illinois, on the 30th July 2019, to
the thundering applause of the select audience from the across the world. The Sankara
Nethralaya family conveys its hearty congratulations and good wishes to Dr Ekta Rishi and Dr
Pukhraj Rishi for this high honour conferred on their impactful demonstration of overcoming
a most challenging condition in VR surgery and wishes them many more achievements and
accolades in their professional journey.
Sankara Nethralaya’s veteran Vitroretina surgeon and head of its VR department wins high honours for Himalayan lifetime achievement in his field
The Upgraded Department of Ophthalmology at the SMS Medical College, Jaipur conducted the
‘6th Retina Live 2019’, the 6th Retinal Congress and 6th VR Surgical meet, under the Aegis
of the ‘Jaipur Ophthalmological Society’ (JOS) on the 16th and 17th of June 2019 at Hotel
Marriot Jaipur. This most exciting, informative and interactive event witnessed talks on key
topics, debates, panel discussions, differing approaches, technology etc by senior
Vitroretina specialists from across the country.
It was a moment of great honour and pride to Sankara Nethralaya when Dr Pramod Bhende,
Medical Director and Director– Bhagwan Mahaveer Vitroretina services was awarded the highly
prestigious ‘Dr BC Sharma Memorial Oration in Vitroretinal Sciences on ‘Pediatric Retinal
Detachments’
The citation of the award acknowledging his exemplary role and contributions to every sphere
of activity that Sankara Nethralaya stands for comes as a great tribute to one of the senior
most consultants of the institution and his endearing commitment to each one of
them.
The Sankara Nethralaya family salutes its veteran Doctor and wishes him many more accolades
in his professional journey.
Congratulations Sir!
A premier, world renowned trade and commerce body acknowledges and honours a great medical professional
The World Tamil Chamber of Commerce (WTCC) is a premium professional body in the forefront
of exploring, promoting and developing the trade and commerce of the Tamil community all
over the world. It also acknowledges and honours eminent professionals for their service to
society. The WTCC held the 3rd edition of its ‘Healthcare Excellence Awards’ on the 11th of
may 2019 at the ‘Le Royal Meridian’ Chennai in a grand scale, former Chief Justice and
Governor of Kerala Honourable Shri P.Sathasivam graced the occasion as the chief guest and
delivered a spirited address to the large gathering from the medical fraternity gathered on
the occasion appealing them to serve in the rural parts of the country and to take care of
their own health too, as they needed to be healthy to dispense good healthcare to the
nation. The event witnessed the honouring of senior medical professionals for their
contribution to their given field of specialization.
We take great pleasure and pride in sharing that Dr Pramod Bhende, Medical Director and
Director-Bhagwan Mahaveer Vitroretinal services, Sankara Nethralaya was awarded the ‘Medical
Excellence Award for Ophthalmology’ at this prestigious meet
Sankara Nethralaya family conveys its hearty greetings and best wishes to Dr Pramod Bhende
on this great honour by a renowned body.
Senior vitreo-retina surgeon from Sankara Nethralaya gets high level exposure and certification in cutting edge technologies of the future
‘Ocular Imaging’ in its broad sense could possibly be cited as the most significant
advancement in the clinical evaluation of ophthalmic diseases. The versatile and highly
advanced nature of this technology enables the ophthalmologist to ascertain a host of
critical parameters like dimension, thickness, qualitative and quantitative measures, values
and micron level changes which makes its role critical in the accurate diagnosis and
treatment of the entire gamut of retinal diseases. It was a significant forward step for
Sankara Nethralaya, an institution in constant pursuit of acquiring the latest ophthalmic
technology, know-how, skill sets and hands on training when Dr Aditya Verma, Senior
Consultant, Shri Bhagwan Mahaveer Vitreo-retina services, located at its main campus in
Chennai, was conferred with a Fellowship in this most niche area by one of the foremost
ophthalmic institutions in the world. Dr Aditya Verma completed a most eventful and exciting
year (2018) pursuing research in ‘Ocular Imaging’ both as a technology and process in all
its manifestations at the Doheny Eye Centre, University of California, Los Angeles, at the
end of which his knowledge and skills in the field were acknowledged by awarding of a
‘Fellowship’. He also gained rich experience in Medical Retina at the UCLA clinic where he
was involved in patient management as well as treatment.
The exposure and learning of emerging diagnostic modalities involved gaining experience in
newer technologies like ultra wide field (FFA&ICT/Color Fundus), OCT angiogram, (spectral
domain OCT) which would prove to be a great value addition to the institution’s endeavours
in diagnosis and treatment of patients. It is noteworthy to mention here that the Fellowship
provided Dr Aditya Verma the hands on skills in working in some of the top global brands
like Zeiss, Topcon, Optos etc and machines and processes which are still at an experimental
stage in clinical practice, as some of them are awaiting FDA approval.
The Sankara Nethralaya family expresses its hearty congratulations to Dr Aditya Verma on
being awarded a Fellowship in such a niche area by a non-profit, service oriented ophthalmic
institution with a standing of more than 70 years, an institution not only considered to be
among the foremost in the world in clinical research and medical education but also one
which shares Sankara Nethralaya’s service orientation through its philosophy of
conservation, improvement and restoration of human eyesight and wishes him many more
significant milestones in his pursuit of knowledge.
A veteran and pioneer is honoured with the gold standard in her specialty
We take great pride and pleasure in sharing the great news that Dr Nirmala Subramanian one
of our senior most Consultants and Professor Emeritus, Oculoplastic Surgery and Senior
Consultant at the Department of Orbit, Oculoplasty, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery has
been honoured with the highly prestigious ‘APSI – Plastic Surgeon for the Year-2018 award’
instituted by the Dr KS. Shekar Endowment. It was a moment of crowning glory for the veteran
and highly respected figure in the field with an international exposure and several ‘Firsts’
to her credit as she walked up to the dais to receive the award considered as the gold
standard in the field of plastic surgery from Professor RP Sahi, Retired HOD-Department of
Surgery and Professor ML Bhat Vice Chancellor King George Medical College and University
Lucknow, to the thunderous applause of the Surgeons fraternity assembled in large number at
the ‘APSICON-2018’ the ‘53rd Annual Conference of Association of Plastic Surgeons of India’
held at Lucknow in November 2018. The citation of the award describing the distinguished
recipient as a ‘Dedicated Surgeon, Excellent Teacher and Avid Learner’ reflected the
qualities of excellence in clinical care, knowledge acquisition and dissemination and
research, the founding principles of the institution where she pioneered the ‘Orbit,
Oculoplasty, Aesthetic & Reconstructive Services department almost 4 decades back and serves
with utmost sincerity and compassion to this day.
The Sankara Nethralaya family puts its hands together for a thunderous standing ovation to
its beloved Dr NS and wishes her many more years of service to society, accomplishments and
recognitions.
A white paper detailing the creation of a critical vision evaluation utility developed by the institution and its accuracy win the highest recognition for SN team from a most prestigious body
Development of the LogMAR visual acuity charts in various Indian languages and installation
of the same in public places to enable the general public do a self check of their visual
acuity, a first of its kind initiative by the Elite School of Optometry made headlines when
it was implemented a couple of years ago. A white paper detailing the creation and accuracy
of this critical vision evaluation utility, authored jointly by the SN team of Dr Kalpa
Negiloni, Deepmala Majumdar, Dr Krishna Kumar, Dr Ronnie George and Biman Sen with
assistance from Dr Aditya Neog, Dr Medhi J and Choudhary Mitalee which was published in the
Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, was awarded the AIOS-IJO Platinum Award for the ‘Best
Scientific Paper’ for year 2018 at the 77th Annual conference of the All India Ophthalmic
Society (AIOS) held at Indore.
The SN family congratulates the authors for their intensive work being acknowledged with the
highest award by a most prestigious body
The grandmaster of Uvea scales another glorious peak in his long uphill climb
It was a proud moment for every member of Sankara Nethralaya as its internationally
acclaimed expert in Uvea, a great teacher as much as a great clinician and researcher,
Member International Uveitis study group and executive council member, International Ocular
Inflammation Society, Dr Jyotirmay Biswas was awarded the highly prestigious ‘AIOS-Adenwala
award-2018’ for his invaluable contributions to ophthalmology and the AIOS, at the 77th
annual conference of the All India Ophthalmological Society held at Indore between the 14th
to 19th February 2019. The scientific committee of the AIOS acknowledged and commended the
veteran’s ‘Journey in Uveitis through 28 years’ which witnessed clinical care of the highest
order, mastery over the subject exhibited through an astonishing number of publications and
white papers on the subject and its related areas in highly prestigious peer reviewed
journals and outstanding teaching and training endeavours in the field.
The Sankara Nethralaya family salutes and congratulates Dr Jyotirmay Biswas its simple,
unassuming Director of Uveitis and Ocular Pathology, known fondly as Dr JB, for this
outstanding recognition in his field which makes him a member of a select group of
ophthalmologists that includes Dr G.Venkatswamy, in the ‘200th year of Indian
Ophthalmology’.
We are proud of you Sir!
An institution dedicated to Service honours a lifelong dedication to Service
The evening of the 26th of December 2018 would remain etched in the minds of the large
number of Sankara Nethralaya family members assembled at the Sri V.D.Swami Auditorium,
located at its main campus, a colourful and joyous moment when the legendary ‘Pune Pagdi’
the bright turban which adorned the heads of Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak the fiery freedom
fighter and Gopal Krishna Gokhale the moderate freedom fighter and social reformer, the
bright headgear which had become a proud symbol of India’s nationalism and fight against
foreign rule adorned the humble persona of the man who had been fighting all his life for
freedom from blindness of his people, leading to a self reliant and independent life. The
occasion was the awarding of the first ‘Pune Netra Seva National Award’ instituted in honour
and memory of Late G.M Shetty of Modern Cafe, Pune, a philanthropist who supported social
causes generously, by the Pune Seva Netra Pratisthan a unique and pioneering service
institution engaged in bringing back the light of vision and joy totally cost free to
thousands of visually impaired in the rural parts of Maharashtra, for the past 40 years. The
award was instituted to recognize and honour an outstanding personality working in the field
of ophthalmology, as part of the Pune Seva Netra Pratisthan’s 40th anniversary celebrations
and the members of the executive committee of the organization chose Dr SS. Badrinath,
Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya unanimously for the same. The fact that the
award was being conferred by an institution governed by the same philosophy and values, an
institution that has been serving a large number of indigent visually impaired in the
backward regions of the country for the same number of years as the institution started by
the recipient of the award and the fact that it was being conferred by the first citizen of
the state made it a very special award.
Dr. Madhusudhan Jamwar, Founder, President and moving force of the Pune Seva Netra
Pratisthan set the tone for the evening with a dash of nostalgia with his fond recollection
of meeting the illustrious recipient of the award for the first time, at the All India
Ophthalmic Congress (AIOC) at Amritsar in year 1979 when Sankara Nethralaya the institution
started by him was a fledgling, one year old, 20 or so bedded hospital. Dr Jamwar’s
compliment that no one was more deserving of the award than Dr SS.Badrinath, in view of his
pioneering role in alleviating the suffering of the visually impaired both rich and poor, by
leveraging a high level of knowledge and infrastructure of his institution was a clear
indication that the humanitarian doctor had been a keen observer of his counterpart on the
other side of the Vindhyas, who became his mentor and idol in the years that followed. Dr
Madhusdhan gave a most absorbing account of how his dream institution the ‘Pune Purva Seva
Pratisthan’ operated without a physical address, as an NGO of Doctors that relied on its
team of service oriented consultants for the treatment dispensed and the local community for
technical and infrastructural support. Dr Jamwar hailed Dr Prema Padmanabhan, among Sankara
Nethralaya’s oldest and most versatile and accomplished surgeons being honoured on the
occasion, as a most distinguished Cornea and Refractive services Consultant, a humble, soft
spoken teacher and guide who has the pride of serving as the Honorary consultant to the
President of India.
Responding to the honour a visibly moved Dr Prema Padmanabhan hailed Dr SS.Badrinath as the
Patriarch and Matriarch of the institution, she paid rich compliments to the Pune Purva Seva
Pratisthan for its 40 years of glorious service to society. Declaring with pride that she
had spent 1/3 of her life at Sankara Nethralaya under the mentorship of Dr SS.Badrinath whom
she described as a sagacious mentor, chastising father, tender mother and guiding teacher
all in one day, she added that he was a man who not only taught his team on how to treat
patients but fellow human beings as a whole. The learned Doctor hailed the award recipient
as a man who redefined outreach programs beyond boundaries, she expressed amazement on how
many of his future plans which had a larger than life canvas and seemed like castles in the
air would evolve as real, impactful initiatives with the passage of time, she cited the
Mobile Eye Surgical Unit (MESU) and Tele-ophthalmology supported outdoor eye camps as case
studies of the same.
Beginning his address in a lighter vein by referring to the man being honoured as a
‘son-in-law’ of Maharashtra, the Chief Guest of the function His Excellency Banwarilal
Purohit, the Honourable Governor of Tamil Nadu gave a most detailed account of the services
rendered by the honouring organization, the man being honoured and the institution started
by him. He cited their service, financial model technology adaption etc. The first citizen
of the State appealed to doctors to synergize allopathic treatment with various indigenous
forms of treatment like Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha for a holistic approach to treating
diseases.
Delivering the acceptance and thanks note on behalf of Dr SS Badrinath, Dr Vasanthi
Badrinath, Director, Clinical Services, Sankara Nethralaya thanked Dr Madhusudhan Jamwar and
his team for conferring the award and taking the trouble of travelling all the way from Pune
to hold the function at Chennai. She expressed deep gratitude to the Governor for gracing
the occasion in the midst of his busy schedules and for his kind words. Dr Vasanthi
Badrinath used the opportunity to highlight Sankara Nethralaya’s pioneering role in
introducing trail blazing concepts and practices in ophthalmology like group practice,
treating all sub-specialties of ophthalmology under one roof, teaching and training
initiatives, advanced community outreach facilities like the Mobile Eye Surgical Unit,
developing ophthalmic technology, Electronic Medical Record, exhaustive ophthalmic research
etc. Dr Vasanthi Badrinath expressed deep appreciation for the great work done by the ‘Pune
Purva Seva Pratisthan’ towards eliminating blindness among the less fortunate sections of
society in rural India and appealed to them to extend their services to places beyond the
state of Maharashtra.
Dr Prema Padmanabhan’s description of the lofty ideals and qualities of the man being
honoured as the ‘Quintessence of a Karmayogi’ summed up the spirit of the day in a single
sentence.
Four decades of tender ophthalmic care to the nation’s future citizens wins its due recognition!
Dispensing eye care to children has always been a challenge to ophthalmologists in view of
the fact that they may not be able to express their discomfort or symptoms in a very clear
manner, the way adults can. As a pioneer in eye care, Sankara Nethralaya has the distinction
of operating a large, exclusive paediatric ophthalmology department which treats a large
number of children from just born to teens, from all over the country, the department is
also credited with having developed special diagnostic/treatment protocols to effectively
treat this gentle segment.
The 66th annual conference of the Tamil Nadu Ophthalmic Association (TNOA) conducted as
‘Pudhu Vue-2018’ on the 10th,11th and 12th of August at the Mahathma Gandhi Medical College
& Research Institution, Puducherry witnessed the honouring of Dr TS.Surendran, Director-
Department of Ophthalmology and Vice Chairman Sankara Nethralaya, who is credited with
having pioneered pediatric ophthalmology as a specialty at Sankara Nethralaya and the man
who trained and built a team in this niche specialty, with a ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award.
The prestigious award presented by Ms Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry and the
loud applause and cheering by the large fraternity of ophthalmologists gathered at the venue
came as a tribute not only to the veteran paediatric ophthalmologist’s professional skills,
dedication, acumen and for successfully treating a large number of children during his long
and glorious career, but also for his personalized and loving care to his little VIPs (very
important patients!).
The Sankara Nethralaya family salutes its Vice Chairman and Director –Pediatric
Ophthalmology department on being accorded this high honour for his lifelong services, by a
premium professional body and conveys its hearty Congratulations.
Congrats Sir!!
An eye care institution preferred by the world is acknowledged for its universal appeal across boundaries and service
Sankara Nethralaya has been a preferred eye care destination to patients not only from different parts of India but from all over the world, right since its early days. It has an exclusive ‘overseas patients’ department serving a steady flow of patients from the world over. We take great pleasure in sharing that Sankara Nethralaya has been adjudged as the ‘Best Medical Tourism Hospital’ in the ‘Tamil Nadu Tourism Awards 2018′. The award was presented on the 14th of March 2018 at a function organized jointly by Ms Madura Travels and the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, at Kamarajar Arangam. The award was presented by Singing Legend, Padmabhushan Srimathi P.Susheela and well known Industrialist and philanthropist, Chevalier, Kalaimamani Shri VG. Santhosham and received on behalf of Sankara Nethralaya by Srimathi Nirmala Kurien, General Manager, Human Resource Department.
Nation’s premier newspaper confers high honours on Sankara Nethralaya and its founder
The Hindu Group Publishing Pvt Ltd, among the nation’s oldest and highly prestigious media houses honoured Sankara Nethralaya as one of the 21 healthcare institutions in the State and its Founder Dr SS.Badrinath for their service to society. The awards were presented by His Excellency Banwari Lal Purohit, the Honourable Governor of Tamil Nadu on the 17th of March 2018 at ‘Hotel Feathers’, Chennai and attended by Shri C.Vijaya Baskar, Health Minister and Shri J.Radhakrishnan, Health Secretary, Tamil Nadu. The event also witnessed the launch of The Hindu’s coffee table book honouring leading institutions which have contributed significantly to healthcare in the country. The first copy of the book titled ‘Doyens Guardians of Healthcare – Tamil Nadu 2018’, which has an exclusive chapter dedicated to Sankara Nethralaya was launched by the Governor of Tamilnadu and received by veteran diplomat, civil servant and former Governor of West Bengal Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
Head of Sankara Nethralaya’s Uvea department occupies centre stage and emerges with flying colours in prestigious topical meet
We take great pleasure and pride in breaking the good news that Dr. Jyotirmay Biswas the
head of our Uvea department and a veteran in this specialty of ophthalmology made a distinct
mark for himself and Sankara Nethralaya in the 71st All India Ophthalmology Society meet’
the prestigious annual congregation of ophthalmic professionals, held at Coimbatore between
the 21st to the 26th of February 2018. The expert’s acknowledged mastery over his specialty
and the acclaim he enjoys became apparent by the fact that his subject matter expertise and
critical contributions were sought in almost every key activity at the meet
We take pride in sharing a few below
- He gave an insightful talk titled ‘Uvea X files in Post graduate teaching programme.’
- He was chosen to play the role of Judge in a novel initiative in academic research titled ‘ Think under the apple tree’
- He participated actively in a session titled ‘ A case of acute retinal necrous, a Uveitis society of India breakfast course’
- He delivered a talk on the relevance of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) in the diagnosis of Uveitis, titled ‘Uveitis: Search for the Cause’
- He delivered a talk on ‘Movement from clinic to Lab:Molecular biologic study in the instruction course “ Learning Uveitis from clinical cases’
- Delivered a talk in ‘clinicopathological correlation in conjuctival and cornea pathology’. In the instruction course of ophthalmic pathology for clinicians.
- He was chosen as the Judge for the Post Graduate thesis competition
- His papers titled 1. Swept source ophthalmologic coherence sonography in serpiginous choroiditis 2. Ocular Bechet’s disease – A report from South India, clinical profile of sarcoid uveitis in a tertiary care centre in South India were extremely well received
- He was selected to play the role of ‘Chief Instructor’ for the course ‘Uveitis” Search for the cause’
The Sankara Nethralaya family salutes the head of its Uvea department and the acknowledged leader in his subject for keeping the Sankara Nethralaya flag flying high in a most prestigious meet and wishes him many more accolades in his professional journey.
Reaching out a hand of compassion and care to the unreached gets its due recognition
Dr Gajendra Kumar Varma, receiving the award from Ms Kiran Bedi, Lt Governor of Puducherry
Vista India the publisher of Health & Fashion magazine recognizes outstanding medical
professionals who have contributed to society through their service orientation, especially
to the socially and economically backward sections of society, with the ‘Mayan Awards’ every
year. This year too witnessed the recognition and awarding of eminent doctors from various
specialties who had exhibited professional excellence and a spirit of service in discharging
their duties. We take great pleasure and pride in sharing that the selection committee chose
Dr Rajesh P.S, Senior Consultant and Dr Gajendra Kumar Varma, Associate Consultant, Sankara
Nethralaya in recognition of their impeccable service to the indigent visually impaired in
the most remote regions of the country, through the ‘Mobile Eye Surgical Unit’ (MESU).
Dr P.S. Rajesh receiving the award from Ms Kiran Bedi, Lt Governor of Puducherry
The awards were presented in a glittering ceremony held at Hotel Accord, Pondicherry on 2nd
July 2017, by Ms Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor, Union Territory of Puducherry. Sankara
Nethralaya family lauds the commitment and service spirit of these two doctors which
reflects the spirit of service and high standards of the institution they serve.
Nation’s No-1 champion of healthy vision and crusader against blindness honours the man who reflects its values and lives its ideals
Dr RR.Sudhir receives the award from the Hon’ble Minister for State for Health & Family
Welfare
‘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.
Nation’s leading provider of drug and healthcare information to Medicare professionals confers Sankara Nethralaya with a rare distinction
CIMS Medica India, is a global leading provider of drug information, educational content and
marketing services to healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical marketers and consumers. CIMS
Medica India publishes leading drug directories such as CIMS, IDR and various scientific
journals, like the Journal of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology (JPOG), Cardiology
Today, Orthopaedics Today & Medical Progress among others. It creates and distributes a wide
range of healthcare information including medical and drug information systems, medical
journals, customized communications and patient education in Print, Electronic, Web,
Broadcast and Live Event formats. Its online brand www.cimsasia.com is among the most
powerful drug search options for medical professionals. CIMS Medica joins hands with
Hospital Management Show to select the nation’s best hospitals for different specialties on
very stringent parameters, every year.
We take pleasure in sharing that Sankara Nethralaya was honoured as the ‘Best Hospital Unit
in Ophthalmology’ for the 2nd year in succession by this leading disseminator of healthcare
information. The awards were presented at a glittering ceremony held at the ITC Grand
Maratha, Mumbai on the 23rd of July 2017, the award was received on behalf of the
institution by its alumni Dr. Sahana Vaidya. It is a proud achievement for the hospital and
the Sankara Nethralaya senior management takes this opportunity to congratulate and thank
each one of you for your contribution towards maintaining high standards in every facet of
our functioning.
Sankara Nethralaya’s eye bank wins highest accreditation in its field!
It was a moment of crowning glory for the Sankara Nethralaya family when the CU Shah Eye
Bank, the institution’s most advanced and well equipped facility and key player in its
battle against corneal blindness was awarded the ‘Quality Certificate’ by ‘SightLife’ a high
profile member of the ‘International Agency for the prevention of Blindness’ (IAPB) and
non-profit solely focused on eliminating corneal blindness the world over. The CU Shah Eye
Bank named after one of the institution’s earliest and most generous supporters, has been a
part of Sankara Nethralaya almost since its inception, the resource, a critical partner in
treating corneal blindness has also been in the forefront of creating awareness on eye
donations in the country and enjoys the reputation of being among the oldest and well
administered eye banks in the country, although it was yet to be formally certified for its
quality and functioning.
The long overdue recognition was fulfilled when SightLife, the world’s leading body which
lays quality guidelines and norms, monitors and evaluates eye banks on the most stringent
parameters the world over, accredited the facility with its ‘Quality Certificate’. The
process was set in motion when Shri K.Hari Babu, Manager CU Shah Eye Bank and his team
initiated the compilation of a directory on quality procedures, processes and best practices
governing eye bank operations the world over combined with Sightlife’s own directives
formalizing eye bank operations and quality standards for eye banks in India, in partnership
with the Ministry of Health and the Eye Bank Associations of India. This exhaustive work
proposed to serve as a ‘Standard operating Procedure’ (SOP) for the eye bank was prepared
with expert guidance and assistance from Senior Consultants of the institution actively
involved in the management and growth of the CU Shah Eye Bank almost since its inception,
namely Dr Prema Padmanabhan, Medical Director, Eye bank, Dr Rama Rajagopal, Deputy Director,
Eye Bank and Dr N.Radhika Senior Consultant, who also played the key role of the editor of
the document. The SOP was presented to the world body and approved by it, as a next step the
members of SightLife were invited for a first hand observation of the functioning of the CU
Shah Eye bank in compliance with the aforesaid parameters. The auditors from SightLife
conducted their audit on the critical functionalities and capabilities of an eye bank namely
donor eligibility, tissue recovery, processing storage, tissue evaluation and distribution
and completed the same in September 2016 the audit team was thoroughly satisfied with their
observations, which manifested itself as an overwhelming 100% pass!! for the facility.
The ‘Quality Certificate’ was received from SightLife on behalf of CU Shah Eye Bank, Sankara
Nethralaya by Shri K.Hari Babu, at a glittering awarding ceremony at the SightLife Managers
Annual meet, held at the Taj Vivanta, New Delhi on 4th January 2017, the award was presented
by Ms Claire Bonilla, Chief Global Officer, SightLife in the August presence of Ms Shubhi
Sood, Quality Assurance officer, SightLife India and Shri Atul Kapoor, Asia-Pacific Manager,
SightLife. It is noteworthy to mention here that the CU Shah Eye Bank is the first Eye Bank
in the State to be honoured with this high accreditation.
In a rare gesture of its appreciation of his initiative and efforts the leader and
forerunner setting and implementing quality standards for eye banks, certified the Manager
of the CU Shah Eye Bank and driving force behind winning the accreditation, Shi Hari Babu as
a prompt and punctual ‘Time Keeper’ at the awarding ceremony.
The Sankara Nethralaya family conveys its deep appreciation to Shri Hari Babu for his
sincere efforts in streamlining and enhancing the operations of the CU Shah Eye Bank with
expert assistance from senior members of the institution and expresses its hearty
Congratulations!! To him for the honour bestowed on him and the branch of the institution
managed by him, by the global leader and partner committed to eliminating corneal blindness.
Three ‘National Board for accreditation of Healthcare Providers’ (NABH) accredited centers,
an in-house laboratory quality certified by the ‘National Board for accreditation of
Laboratories’ (NABL) the nation’s highest quality certifications and now an international
‘Quality Certificate’ for its eye bank; the wheel has gone a full circle indeed for an
institution committed to quality and nothing but quality in all its endeavors.