| Lead Kindly Light | | I have known Late Dr. Venkatasamy for over three decades. He is known for his silent contribution and bringing light to thousands of people. All his life, he has worked for total elimination of avoidable blindness. He has brought with the Aravind Eye Hospital, the best of technology and management. He has established a network of Aravind Hospitals and also the mobile clinics. He has created many leaders in the field, who are spread in various parts of the world. Whichever eye hospital I visited in India, I met a number of people, who had been trained by Dr. Venkatasamy's institutions. It was amazing to see how even in his eighties he was radiating enthusiasm and perseverance for realizing his vision. | |
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| | Dr Venkatswamy championed the community ophthalmology service in Tamilnadu and surrounding region. This was at a time when there was tremendous amount of cataract back log, and there were not enough specialists. Using a systematic approach to mass screening and surgery he infused both science and discipline to mass surgical eye camp. The mass movement for treatment of cataract shifted from improvised operating rooms to hospital operating room facilities. Aravind has successfully integrated their core competence of community ophthalmology with modern medical treatment and research. | |
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| | Dr Venkataswamy implemented his principle that the Aravind hospital must provide services to reach rich and poor alike, yet the eye care facility must be financially self-supporting. The entire Aravind Eye care system is conducting on an average 800 eye surgeries per day and annually treat over 2.5 million patients. They are providing for every 30 paid patients, free treatment for 70 patients who cannot afford. This principle is achieved through high quality, large volume care and a well-organized system. | |
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| | Aravind has grown into five hospitals with nearly 3,600 beds and 26 vision centres spread in different parts of Tamilnadu particularly in rural areas. The important aspect of Aravind system is that the productivity per ophthalmic specialists is 5 times that of national productivity. The world has recognized Aravind's contribution. Recently I was happy to see many researchers from different parts of the world as partners while inaugurating Venkataswamy Research Centre at Madurai. The life of Dr. Venkataswamy gives the message to all of us and particularly the aspiring medical graduates, how commitment to a vision can make missions happen. | |
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| | Now I would like to discuss about the contribution of a doctor who has dedicated his life for tribal healthcare. | |
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| Reaching the Unreached | | In the present circumstances and environment, it was inspiring to see, how a MBBS doctor has put all his dreams in mainstreaming the tribal citizens of Karnataka for the last 25 years through Vivekananda Girijana Kalyan Kendra (VGKK), at BR Hills. When I visited BR Hills in 1998 and subsequently in 2006, I could see substantial new developments in that area. I could see that "New Tribal Hospital", Roads and education environment and above all the earning capacity of the tribal citizens have been increased with the technology resource centre as a base. Dr. H. Sudarshan, is the inspiring architect of this societal transformation. | |
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| | Dr. Sudarshan's father died in a village without any medical help when he was just twelve. This event followed by his reading the biography of Dr. Albert Schweitzer who worked in Africa motivated Dr. Sudarshan to take up medical profession and work in tribal areas in India. Dr. Sudarshan derives his philosophy of work from Swami Vivekananda's teachings which states "they alone live who live for others, rest are more dead than alive". | |
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| | Dr. Sudarshan starts his day at 4.30 am in the morning with Yoga, meditation and prayer with tribal school children. After his breakfast at 7.30 am, he attends to administrative work for an hour. From 9 am to 1pm, he goes around the ward and sees the patients individually. He has lunch with the tribal students between 1 and 2 pm in the afternoon. Later till 7 pm, he is busy in the clinic where he conducts minor surgeries and visits tribal complex. Later, he performs administrative work for an hour and half and has dinner with the tribal students. He devotes one hour for study between 9 and 10 pm, so that he gets updated information about medical systems. He spends large part of his time in Clinical Diagnosis, Laboratory diagnosis and treatment, in addition to Supervising, Monitoring, teaching and carrying out research along with his team members. | |
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| | Dr. Sudarshan pays particular attention to the special problems of the tribals such as Snake bite cases, Mauling by bears, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis and Acute Respiratory Infections. The Soliga tribal people suffer from Sickle Cell Anemia and Dr. Sudarshan has developed a low cost electrophoresis machine for diagnosing the disease. He has also built the healthcare system on the strengths of traditional knowledge available in the tribal areas. The secret of his service is that he is empowering the people to manage their own health through the provision of knowledge. He has trained tribal girls as Auxiliary Nurse & Midwife (ANM) and posted them in the Tribal Sub-centers. These nurses undergo 18 months course. Thus the rural area is self-sufficient in nursing resource. He has also developed low cost management system for Epilepsy in the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC). He has introduced Dental Healthcare and Cancer Control in the PHC. He is providing quality healthcare to the people by the introduction of low premium health insurance for all the people living below poverty line. He suggests that medical colleges should teach their students to develop sensitivity to the suffering of the patients. They also need to modify the treatment approach for the poor who cannot afford costly treatment. The aim of the medical education should be to facilitate application of medical technology for providing best care to the poor at the most affordable cost. Dr. Sudarshan says 'the greatest joy, he experienced was when he resuscitated a patient whose lungs and heart had stopped and when he sees the smile on the face of poor patients who come to the hospital with blindness (cataract in both eyes) and walk out with full vision after the cataract surgery. Country needs thousands of Dr. Sudarshans for providing healthcare to our rural citizens. | |
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| | When we see the life of Dr. Venkataswamy and Dr. Sudarshan who championed the cause "prevent avoidable blindness" and "tribal healthcare", there are many other avoidable healthcare issues that come in front of us? How can we avoid totally Malaria? How can we eliminate TB? How can we make IMR and MMR near zero? In India, we have to ensure that there is no occurrence of infection such as HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B&C due to the re-use of syringe and the needle. Can we free future generations from occurrence of heart diseases at an early age? Can we make artificial organs for giving quality of life to those who need them? Can we provide better quality of life to our senior citizens? How to educate people in preventive care? How to keep the environment clean? How to reduce the costs of medicines and make it affordable to the common man? How to ensure spurious drugs do not enter the market? As you see, if you have to find satisfactory answers to these questions, we have to address together many aspects like medical innovation, training, technology, sanitation, nutrition, public awareness and ethics together. | |
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| | I hope every one you will take a page today, write in a page, one sentence. That one sentence could make a difference in your life. That sentence is "What I will be remembered for?" | |
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