The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Hospital to spend Rs. 80 crore on its expansion programme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 05, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Hospital to spend Rs. 80 crore on its expansion programme

Staff Reporter

‘Friends of Sankara Nethralaya Award’ presented

— Photo: M.Vedhan

HONOUR: DGP K.P.Jain presenting a Friends of Sankara Netharalaya award to playback singer Vani Jayaram at a function in Chennai on Sunday. (From left) S.S.Badrinath, Chairman emeritus of Sankara Nethralaya, Lingam Gopal, chairman, Sankara Nethralaya, Major General E.J.Kochekkan, General Officer Commanding in Chief (Southern Command) and TTD chairman Audikesavalu Naidu are in the picture.

CHENNAI: Sankara Nethralaya will incur a capital expenditure of Rs.80 crore in 2009-2010 on its expansion programme, according to Tarun Sharma, Director of Shri Bhagwan Mahavir Vitreoretinal Services, Sankara Nethralaya.

Speaking on the occasion of the presentation of the ‘Friends of Sankara Nethralaya Award’ here on Sunday, he said, “We need the support of more friends to continue our programme of making healthcare affordable.”

“Sankara Nethralaya will start a 50,000 sq ft facility in Kolkata on January 21. An overseas centre in Mauritius will become a reality soon,” said S.S.Badrinath, founder and Chairman emeritus of Sankara Nethralaya.

As Sankara Nethralaya is a non-commercial, charitable organisation “we require more contributions from donors to expand our activities,” he added. “We do 125 major eye surgeries per day. Around 30 per cent of the total number of major surgeries are done free of cost,” Dr. Badrinath added.

Eye surgeries for defence personnel are done free of cost. “Captain A.K.Singh, who got his eye injured in the Mumbai terror attack is getting treatment here,” said Major General E.J.Kochekkan, General Officer Commanding in Chief (Southern Command). “The 30 years of service of the hospital should continue in future with more dynamism,” he added.

The ‘Friends of Sankara Nethralaya Scheme’ recognises individuals contributing Rs.1 lakh. The hospital will perform one free surgery on any date in a year specified by the donor for 12 years. Every year the hospital receives around Rs.6 crore as donation, a press release issued at the function said. A total of 22 individuals/firms received the ‘Friends of Sankara Nethralaya Award.’

Director General of Police K.P.Jain said the hospital was contributing immensely to all sections of society. Chairman of Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam Audikesavalu Naidu said Dr.Badrinath would be the patron of the proposed super specialty eye hospital of the TTD.

A cultural programme by Samanvay Samvet was organised as part of the function.

Corrections and Clarifications

Similarly, in a report "[Sankara Nethralaya] Hospital to spend Rs. 80 crore on its expansion programme" (Chennai city, January 5, 2009, page 2), Major General E.J. Kochekkan was referred to (in the text and photo caption) as the General Officer Commanding in Chief (Southern Command). He is the General Officer Commanding, ATNK & K [Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala] Area, Chennai.

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