Sankara Eye Hospital, Anand, Gujarat

In May 1977, inspired by the Sankaracharyas of Kanchi, Dr.R.V. Ramani and his wife, Dr. Radha Ramani set up a Primary Health Care Centre for the needy at Coimbatore. With the help of Doctors offering voluntary services and the support of Coimbatore’s Resident Community, the service grew to 12 Medical Centres in 9 states serving 1000 patients every day.

BEGINNINGS

In 1985, Dr. Ramani’s attention was drawn to the tangible difference the “Gift of Vision” could make. More than 80% of blindness is preventable and curable. Sankara Eye Hospital was started with the mission to eradicate needless blindness. Under the aegis of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Medical Trust. In keeping with Mahatma Gandhi’s dictum, ‘India lives in the villages’, in 1990, Dr. R.V. Ramani launched Gift of Vision – High quality, cost effective, readily available eye care at the doorsteps of Rural India. With the support of Rotary International and Rotary Coimbatore Central, through a Health, Hunger and Humanity Grant for the first time in India the “Gift of Vision” programme was initiated. The Model aims at providing World Class eye care totally free of cost to 80 % of the population and through paid services for 20 % which in turn subsidises the total cost of treatment.