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Kalam hails Aravind Eye Hospitals founder's contribution

Staff Reporter

"Beacon light" for the ophthalmologists and eye care centres across the country

TRIBUTES: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam addressing a meeting held in Madurai on Sunday, through video conferencing from Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. — PHOTO: S. JAMES

MADURAI: Paying tribute to G. Venkataswamy, Founder of Aravind Eye Hospitals, the President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam hailed him as the "beacon light" for the ophthalmologists and eye care centres across the country.

Recalling his interaction with the departed doctor when the latter said that his hospital follows the philosophy of curing 30 well to do patients and using that money to provide free medical care to 70 poor patients, the President said the "new concept" formulated by the departed doctor had proved to the eye care world that it is a self sustaining proposition.

Mr. Kalam was addressing a prayer meeting titled `Honouring the Light' held here on Sunday in memory of the founder, who passed away on July 7, through video-conferencing from the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

"All his life he has worked for total elimination of avoidable blindness," the President said and added that Dr. Venkataswamy had brought in the best of technology and techniques besides training several pioneers in the field who are now spread around the world. Reminiscing his first visit to the hospital to attend one of his friends being treated in the hospital, he said: "That was the time when I could see all the patients were given equal priority and equal care irrespective of their status. It was a divine environment. It did not look like a hospital. It virtually looked like a Temple."

Other speakers like R. Kausalya Devi, Managing Trustee of Gandhigram Trust near here and Vijay Poddar of Shri Aurabindo Society in Pondicherry acknowledged the Gandhian principles followed by the departed doctor and his spiritual thoughts.

G.N. Rao, of L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, said, the deceased, fondly called as Dr.V, had overcome every kind of limitation and has demonstrated that despite suffering from a physical infirmity like rheumatoid arthritis which left his fingers crippled, he could become an astute and dextrous surgeon who had personally performed more than 100,000 eye surgeries.

The Vice-Chairman of AEH, P. Namperumalsamy, other family members, staff and general public attended the prayer meeting that lasted for more than two hours amidst playing of Bhajans and video clippings depicting the achievements of Dr. Venkataswamy.

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