The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : He has his sight on raising money for a cause

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 03, 2006
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

He has his sight on raising money for a cause

"All the money comes from our clubs. We do not get money from any other source. We raise it ourselves"

`Lion' K.G. Ramakrishna Murthy

He travels across continents in search of money.

`Lion' K.G. Ramakrishna Murthy was recently in Chennai on a whirlwind visit of the city, taking in his stride meetings with various Lions Club members and checking out the Sight First project calendar. He spent a few hours in the city hopping from one event to another, roping in supporters. R. Sujatha spoke on the details the project.

Mr. Murthy is International Director of the International Association of Lions Clubs for two years now. As someone who will represent 59 countries, including India and regions in South Asia, Africa and the Middle East, till 2008, Mr. Murthy seems to be a man in a hurry. His aim is to eradicate preventable blindness from India and the other countries that he is in charge of. It is a daunting task that requires not only vision and courage but also plenty of money. So, Mr. Murthy is going all out to collect money for the Sight First project.

Across continents the Lions Club has pioneered various projects for the blind. The non-governmental organisation's association with the task of blindness prevention began with the setting up of the world's first eye bank in the late 1940s in New York.

The Sight First project evolved in 1989, and between 1990 and 2006 $193.29 million was approved for 818 projects in 90 countries. Today, in India 120 eye hospitals are run with the support of Lions Clubs. While the poor are treated free, the payment collected from others is used to help the poor.

"This will help the hospitals to remain self sustaining," Mr. Murthy points out.

"Intraocular lens [procedures] have replaced conventional surgery," he says. In the past 15 years, 87,196 intraocular lens cataract surgeries were done in Tamil Nadu.

A total of 89,957 simple cataract surgeries were done during the same period.

A cataract surgery may cost Rs.3,000 but a hospital may charge Rs.5,000.

The excess amount is used to build the hospital's reserve to treat the poor.

The NGO has begun capacity building at hospitals and training the staff there to manage manpower. Another area of focus is the management of diabetic retinopathy.

The NGO has received US $ 3,508,251 for its various Sight First projects between 1991 and 2006. But, a lot still needs to be done.

"All the money comes from our clubs. We do not get money from any other source. We raise it ourselves," Mr. Murthy says.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu