The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Develop low-cost instruments for providing eye care, says Kalam

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Saturday, Jan 06, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Develop low-cost instruments for providing eye care, says Kalam

Shastry V. Mallady

Complete vision at an affordable cost should be the mission, says President

— Photo: G. Moorthy

TRIBUTE TO VISIONARY: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Dr. G. Venkataswamy Eye Research Institute in Madurai on Friday. Minister for School Education Thangam Thennarasu and Aravind Eye Care System chairman P. Namperumalsamy are also in the picture.

MADURAI: President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam has called for developing `low-cost instruments' for providing eye care to the vast population in the country to prevent avoidable blindness.

He said complete vision should be the mission and eye care at an affordable cost the vital component of the mission. Mr. Kalam was speaking after laying the foundation stone for Dr. G. Venkataswamy Eye Research Institute, being established by the Aravind Medical Research Foundation, in Madurai on Friday.

The institute must take up research that went beyond cataract and focus on genetic research for glaucoma, anti-fungal infection and in developing country-specific electronic medical records.

"Dr. Venkataswamy started a mass movement for cataract surgeries. He thoroughly integrated community ophthalmology and modern medical research and hence this institute named after him should provide answers in eye care," the President said.

He suggested that the research institute, which already had huge data on eye diseases, could work in the direction of giving shape to the theme `complete vision should be the mission.'

The President said setting up the institute would be the most fitting tribute to a man who worked relentlessly for the cause of community at a time when the country had large backlog of cataract cases.

"Dr. GV made a silent contribution in preventing avoidable blindness. He radiated enthusiasm, trained ophthalmologists and started mobile clinics. He started a mass movement for eye care to all," Mr. Kalam said.

Aravind Eye Care System Chairman P. Namperumalsamy said the research institute would come up at a cost of about Rs.25 crore on a 40,000 sqft with state-of-the-art facilities. The institute would work together with leading national and international institutions in eye care. Focus would be on stem cell research and functional genomics in ophthalmology.

Dr. Namperumalsamy said the Aravind Eye Hospital had performed 2.5 lakh surgeries last year, 45 per cent of the surgeries done in Tamil Nadu.

T. Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, and Lloyd Paul Aiello, Director, Beetham Eye Institute-Joslin Diabetes Centre at Boston, US, offered felicitations.

R. D. Thulasiraj, Executive Director, Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology, spoke.

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