Financial Year 2018 – 2019 saw the Sankara Nethralaya, a Chennai based social organization in eye care and education, completing 40 years in Service to humanity. Under the inspiring and visionary leadership of Dr Badrinath, the year saw the Foundation embarking on new projects and expansion of its services besides setting a new record in financial performance and a new record in number of free services performed.
True to its founding principle, the Medical Research Foundation showed growth in all its areas of activity – World class eye care, Community Services, Research and Education – broadly recognized as the four pillars of the Foundation.
The Foundation has recorded yet another performance with the hospital collection showing a growth of 6% in comparison to the previous financial year. The hospital collection crossed Rs. 200 crores for the first time, annual report reveals.
2018-19 was an impactful year for Sankara Nethralaya. The number of free surgeries in the FY 2018-19 was 22810. Number of free surgeries as a percentage of total surgeries done was 36%. The Mobile Eye Surgery Units (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand), the brain child of Dr SS Badrinath, kept the flag of Sankara Nethralaya’s service to community flying high by performing 4520 totally free cataract surgeries in different villages across the 3 states.
A close look at the inception, growth and 4 decades of service by Sankara Nethralaya would make it apparent that if something has been the consistent moving force for all the above, next only to the blessings of the Kanchi Acharyas, it is the boundless love to mankind, a strong sense of service, a no strings attached generosity and utmost faith in the institution exhibited by its donors and well-wishers.
It was a beautiful demonstration of this faith that was being showcased on the 20th of September 2018 in the small town of Chetpet in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu, as the curtains went up on yet another major step in Sankara Nethralaya’s battle against blindness, in a semi urban area.
The hospital, now named Suraj Sankara Nethralaya, was donated to Sankara Nethralaya, by Shri Surajmal Jain and his family. After required renovations the hospital started functioning from October 2018, serving the people from surrounding villages.
(CopyRight@IndiaCSR)
