The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : "Accident witnesses must help victims"

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 26, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

"Accident witnesses must help victims"

Staff Reporter

There is no substitute for human life: Barnala

FELICITATED: Governor Surjit Singh Barnala felicitating S.S. Badrinath for his services in eye care at a function held in Chennai on Saturday. Looking on are N. Vittal, Justice S. Ramalingam, chairman and N. Sugalchand Jain, vice chairman of St. John Ambulance and Sarojini Varadappan. — Photo: M. Vedhan

CHENNAI: Accident witnesses must help the victim and should not worry about "future possible procedural complications," said Governor Surjit Singh Barnala here on Saturday.

The Governor, who inaugurated the annual conference of representatives of district and local centres of the St. John Ambulance, said "there is absolutely no substitute for a human life."

First aid training

He appealed to the non-government organisation to work out modalities to impart first aid training to government servants, women's self-help groups and rural youth. He urged that St. John Ambulance initiatives be made a movement.

Giving away memento and citation to S.S. Badrinath, chairman of the Sankara Nethralaya, Mr. Barnala said Dr. Badrinath is the best ambassador for Madras (Chennai). The city is known all over the country for his eye hospital, he said. The ophthalmologist was felicitated for his "immense service to humanity." The citation listed his achievements and awards given for his work. Mr. Barnala also gave away 19 silver rolling trophies to local centres in various districts and to schools and colleges for training students in first aid. The order of St. John and the honour of St. John were presented to four members.

Two new trophies - one instituted in Governor S.S. Barnala's name for the best division of St. John Ambulance and the other instituted in the Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa's name for the centre that gives free first aid training to students and the public - were also announced. The trophies will be given from the next year. The Chief Minister's trophy is sponsored by A.P. Selvam, chairman of the St. John Ambulance Coastal District Centre, Thanjavur.

C.S. Veeraraghavan, state secretary of the organisation, gave a brief history of the organisation and listed its achievements. In first aid training, Tamil Nadu stood third in the country, next only to Haryana and Punjab. The State also stood second in membership drive, next only to Karnataka, he said.

Dr. Badrinath appealed to the members to spread the message of eye donation. Those suffering from corneal and cataract-induced blindness could gain vision through transplant, he noted.

A third of surgeries at Sankara Nethralaya are done free of cost for the indigent. Anyone with a monthly income of less than Rs. 2,250 requiring surgery is eligible for free surgery at the eye hospital, he said. Doctors could refer such people with St. John Ambulance's seal of approval, Dr. Badrinath said.

Others who felicitated the organisation and the awardees included N. Vittal, former Central Vigilance Commissioner and Sarojini Varadappan, president of the Indian Red Cross Society, Tamil Nadu Branch.

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