A CHARITY has achieved the milestone of completing one million free eye surgeries across India for the poor and needy.
Sankara Eye Foundation Europe (SEFEU) marked the event with a celebration in the House of Commons with MP Virendra Sharma as the guest of honour last Thursday (June 6).
The non-profit organisation, which launched its UK chapter in 2004, is part of the Sankara Eye Care movement, set up 36 years ago by Dr RV Ramani in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
India accounts for a quarter of the world’s blind population, with two million new cases of cataracts added every year.
In his remarks, Sharma, MP for Ealing Southall, revealed how his brother suffered from blindness.
“Giving someone their eyesight is the best contribution you can make, more than anything else.
"My own brother in his late 50s had gone blind. I could see the difficulty he had gone through, and how dependent he was on others.
"Giving somebody their eyesight, and helping somebody with their health so that they can contribute back to the society is one of the best services you can make.”
Sharma told GG2 how important it was for the UK community to support such organisations and praised British Asians for their “dual responsibility” to their families in Britain and also back home.
“It’s important for us to understand what the community back home needs, and what kind of help we can offer,” he said.
“I feel proud that British communities, irrespective of their race colour or creed, take this dual responsibility very seriously.
“This foundation doesn’t know where the individual it helps comes from or which faith they belong to; they see that they need help and they help them.”
Sankara Eye Care Institutions has 11 eye hospitals in India, with a team comprising 125 doctors, 600 paramedical professionals and 275 support staff.
Bharath Balasubramaniam, chief operating officer in administration of the foundation, said the organisation runs on donations. Eighty per cent of the beneficiaries are poor people in villages who receive their treatment for free and 20 per cent who can afford to pay for the treatment “cross subsides the free eye care services”.
He added: “Through our movement, we aim to reach out to the most underserved sections of the society who cannot access care. Through accessibility, availability and affordability we intend to break down the barriers for quality eye care.”
The organisation aims to set up new eye hospitals in India as well as contribute to the ongoing running of existing ones.
Care can include eye transplants or the treatment of diseases such cataracts, a clouding of the lens inside the eye which leads to a decrease in vision.
For more information, visit www.giftofvision.org.uk
