CHAIRMAN’s MESSAGE

Namaskar

I welcome you all to the 5th Anniversary celebrations of Pushpagiri Eye Institute.

It was just 5 years back when we realized that:
  • Social isolation” due to visual impairment is often compounded by lack of Specialty Eye Care and support.
  • There were not many Specialty Comprehensive Quality Eye Care providers in India, – as the prevalence of conditions grow – like blindness due to Diabetes.
  • The existing Eye Care Centres are unable to cope with the demands and
  • The Cost remained beyond the reach of large majority of the Indian population.

Having realized the above and driven by an element of compassion – to serve all those who cannot afford – we set up Pushpagiri Eye Institute in Secunderabad in January 2007. The then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh late Dr. Y S Rajsekhar Reddy was kind enough to inaugurate the Hospital.

Since then we have grown from strength to strength and from a Super Specialty Eye Hospital in Secunderabad we have grown into a National Institute for Comprehensive Eye Care with an Eye to provide affordable Ophthalmic services to one and all.

In the last 5 years with commendable support from my team and many of our well wishers we have been successful in establishing a Patient Centric Institution of excellence wherein Specialty Eye Care is available at affordable price to one and all where no patient is turned back un-attended because he cannot afford.

At PVRI we have been successful in developing a model wherein we:

  • Reach out to the remotest areas and sensitize the population by conducting comprehensive free eye camps.
  • Use technology as an ‘enabler’ by adopting tele-ophthalmology and tele-medicine in our networked associates/hospitals.
  • Constantly create by Specially Designed Training – a breed of Medical & Non-Medical force – driven by passion and commitment to serve for the cause.
  • Have created centres “empowered” to follow up and monitor for Specialty Eye Care like Diabetic Retinopathy.
  • Have decided to rapidly grow and fill up the “huge gap” for Special Eye Care- Specialist focus on Diabetic Retinopathy and child-hood blindness.

Now, I wish to share some of our achievements which has grown in geometric progression in the last five years:

  • We have screened more than 1,10,000 patients and out of which 85,000 (Approx 77.7%) have been screened free of charge.
  • We have performed nearly 11,430 operations and some of them very complicated and 5,500 of them have been free of charge to the patient.
  • We have conducted more than 350 Comprehensive Eye Camps and patients have been screened free of charge.
  • We have also conducted around 200 eye camps for school children.


One of the important achievement in the year 2011, is we had tied up with Lions International under which we conducted free Eye Camps in 101 Government schools with more 6,900 students were screened.

In view of the commendable work done by the Hospital, Government of Andhra Pradesh has selected our Hospital under the Sri Rajiv Aarogyasri Scheme and following achievements justifies the faith imposed in us by the AP State Govt:

No of camps conducted

230

No of Patients screened free of cost

24,938

No. of patients operated

3,482

As informed last year, Acumen Funds appreciating or model invested USD 2.0 million to help PVRI set up two more Super Specialty Eye Hospital in Vizianagaram and Kadapa.

The First Hospital was inaugurated on 4th March 2012 in Vizianagaram and the second Hospital will be inaugurated in the month of July 2012 in Kadapa. The construction of this hospital is going in full swing and as per schedule.

I am proud to say that within a short period of four years we have already set our eyes on International Collaborations and Partnerships.

We have signed up to work with following institutes:

  • London Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine wherein a study ‘Improvement in Quality of Cataract Surgeries in Developing Countries’ was undertaken in 3 stages spread over 1 year. As a part of the study the Researchers have studied the complete process of Cataract Surgery at PVRI including patient experience and they are proposing to come out with a model that can be adopted across countries in various geographies.
  • John Hopkins Carey Business School where their Global MBA students had undertaken a Project entitled ‘Innovation for Humanity’.

In addition to above we are in the process of Collaborating and Partnering with one of the Globally known Eye Research Institute to work on combating blindness due to Age Related Macular deficiency and Diabetic Retinopathy – the result of which would benefit millions of Diabetic population of India.

We will also be collaborating/partnering with them on Research programmers in the areas such as:

  • Epidemiological Research
  • Clinical Research
  • Basic Research
  • Molecular, Genetics & Immunology.

On the Education and Training front, we at PVRI have been playing a major role and some of the Academic/Training initiatives being:

  • We are accredited by National Board of Examination for DNB courses.
  • We have conducted a number of short term and long term fellowship courses in Phaco, Glaucoma, Retina, Squint and Paediatric Ophthalmology.
  • Continuing Medical Education Programmes

Recognizing the tremendous experience available with PVRI, AP state Government has approved PVRI to conduct following Diploma Courses:

  • Diploma in Ophthalmic Sciences
  • Diploma in Optometry

Lastly at Pushpagiri Eye Institute, I and my team promise to dedicate all our might to contribute towards the eradication of the preventable blindness by providing appropriate and compassionate high quality Specialty Eye Care for all and especially to those who cannot afford.

Tamsoma Jyotirgamaya