Sankara Nethralaya
Sankara Nethralaya
 
Awards
Sankara Nethralaya wins BEST OPHTHALMOLOGY SPECIALTY HOSPITAL
No 1 Eye Hospital

We are proud to be named as the Winner of the Best Ophthalmology Specialty Hospital at the SICCI MedTech Conference and Healthcare Awards 2023 held on 28th July 2023.

Sankara Nethralaya thanks all our consultants, optometrists, healthcare workers, staff and employees for their dedication and compassion.

The Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) is India’s oldest & most prestigious Industry Association and is also a founder member of The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).


Outlook Health ranks Sankara Nethralaya as No 1 Eye Hospital – All India
No 1 Eye Hospital
Sankara Nethralaya is proud to be ranked No.1 eye hospital in India by Outlook Health. We thank all our ophthalmologists, nurses, healthcare providers, and employees for their dedication, compassion, and hard work in making us No. 1.

Single Speciality Hospital Award of the Year
 
 

Sankara Nethralaya is the winner of the Single Speciality Hospital Award of the Year, 13th MT Healthcare Awards 2023.

We thank all of you in the Sankara Nethralaya Family who has been a part of this recognition - you are invaluable.


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.


Ms Divya Chaturvedi GOLD MEDAL in Uvea 2022
 
Sankara Nethralaya congratulates the Winners of Divya Chaturvedi Gold Medal in Uvea 2022 - Dr. Divyansh Vinki Rughwani and Dr. Malekar Rutuja Ravindranath.

Outlook Presents - Best Doctors in South 2022
 

Sankara Nethralaya congratulates our ophthalmologists!

Outlook magazine lists Dr. T. S. Surendran (Dept. of Pediatric Ophthalmology), Dr. Pramod Bhende (Dept. of Opthalmology, Vitreo Retinal), Dr. Veena Noronha (Diagnostic Radiology), and Dr. Krishna Kumar S (Dept. of Pathology) among the Best Doctors in South - 2022.

We salute their selfless dedication and humanitarian spirit.


Sankara Nethralaya Wins the Global Digital Health Innovation Awards 2022
 
 
 
 

We heartily congratulate the IT dept on their contributions towards making eyecare accessible for our patients in remote locations. Your teamwork and dedication is the heart of this recognition.

We especially thank and appreciate Dr R. R. Sudhir, Head of EMR Development and Implementation, and Ms. Geetha N., Manager, Dept of IT & Systems – IT Development, for their innovative and nurturing leadership, and everyone in the IT dept. for their diligence and dedication.


Dr. V. V. Jaichandran, Dept. of Anesthesiology, Receives BEST INNOVATION’22 Award
 
Dr. V. V. Jaichandran
 
Dr. V. V. Jaichandran, Deputy Director, Dept. of Anesthesiology, won the Best Innovation’22 prize for his innovation, “Real-time view Mannequin for Practicing Needle blocks,” developed along with the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT-M, Chennai at the 14th International Congress of Anesthesiologists – South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – Association for Anesthesiologists (SAARC AA 2022). The Congress was held in Mumbai from 12th – 14th, August 2022.

Sankara Nethralaya Bags Netra Samrakshak Award (Legendary Institution for Community Services)
 
 
 

PRID Rtn Dr. Manoj Desai and DG Rtn. Fazal Mahmood presented Sankara Nethralaya with the Netra Samrakshak (Legendary Institution for community services) award. Dr. Veena Baskaran, Head of Community Services received the award on behalf of our institution and thanked everyone for their support towards this noble cause.

The award was presented at the first ever Rotary National community ophthalmology conference organised by Rotary International District 3190 And Rotary Avoidable Blindness Foundation (Chairman Mr. M. Ravikumar) was held in J.N. Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science, Benguluru on May 21 -22 2022.

Sankara Nethralaya family’s heartfelt thanks goes to all the opthalmologists, nurses, and staff who make our mission a reality each day.


Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists (ISA) honours Dr. Jaichandran V. V.

 
Dr. Jaichandran V. V
 

On the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee Celebration of the Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists (ISA), held at Chennai on 14-05-2022, ISA National President Dr. Venkatgiri K.M., Vice-President Dr. Anjali Rakesh Bhure, Secretary Dr. Naveen Malthora, and other office bearers honoured our anaesthesiologist Dr. Jaichandran V. V. for his contributions in the field of Ophthalmic Anaesthesia.

Sankara Nethralaya family congratulates Dr. Jaichandran V. V. on this momentous occasion and thanks him for his dedication and enthusiastic contributions.


Dr. TSS receives Charaka Award in recognition of his dedication to Pediatric Opthalmology
 
Dr. T. S. Surendran
 

Dr. T. S. Surendran received the Charaka Award conferred on him by the Rotary Club of Guindy acknowledging his long years of dedicated service in the field of pediatric ophthalmology. Our beloved Chief, Dr. S. S. Badrinath, conveyed his blessings to Dr. T. S. Surendran on this memorable occasion.

The awards ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency, Teynampet, on 11th May 2022.


Newsweek announces Sankara Nethralaya one of the World’s Best Hospitals 2022
 
 

Since 1978, Sankara Nethralaya has taken on the challenge of delivering patient-centric eye care consistently throughout our community care facilities. Even through the worst of the pandemic and beyond, Sankara Nethralaya rose to task of treating patients with Covid related complications as well complications which arose because patients were not able access basic eye care in time. We are happy to be acknowledged as one of the World Best Specialized Hospitals 2022 by the Newsweek- Statistica Inc. survey for the third consecutive year.

We thank our consultants, staff and paramedical staff for their continual dedication to the vision of this institution and making this international recognition possible.


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
 
Best Hospitals in the World for year 2020

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!
 
Dr PP Santanam

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.

 
Dr PP Santanam

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
 
Dr Ekta Rishi
 

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
 
Doctorate in Health Services
 

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
 
OASRS 2019
 
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.
 
OASRS 2019
 

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
 
6th Retina Live 2019
 

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
 
‘Healthcare Excellence Awards
 

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
 
‘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.
 
Ocular Imaging
 

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!
TNOA
 

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
Best Medical Tourism Hospital Award
Best Medical Tourism Hospital
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
 
Doyens Guardians Healthcare
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
 
International Ophthalmic Heroes of India

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 crowning moment came when Dr Jyotirmay Biswas was honoured as “International Ophthalmic Heroes of India” in a special function held at the event attended by 6000 eye care professionals.

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.


 
 
 
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