- Students from Meenakshi Mission Hospital visited Aravind-Madurai on November1 to have an orientation of Aravind Eye Care System
- Mr. Gabriel Minder, Former representative of Rotary, Switzerland visited Aravind-Madurai from November 26-27 to have an orientation of Aravind Eye Care System
- Students from University of Hyderabad, India visited Aravind-Madurai from November 30 to December1 to have an orientation of Aravind Eye Care System.

A GRADUATE-PATIENT GOT A JOB ALONG WITH HER EYE SIGHT
      Have you heard about a cataract patient who was on the operation theatre receiving an offer of help in securing a job? That too from the doctor who was performing the operation! A young girl got such on offer of help. And she got both the sight and job! Rajalakshmi (real name shielded) aged 23 came to the free eye camp conducted by a hospital at valliyur. She was examined by the doctor who found that the girl had almost lost vision in her left eye. Her right eye was normal. When she was informed that she had complicated cataract in her left eye which was having only a hand-movement (H/M) vision, she said, “I already know that it has no vision!”.
      The patient-counsellor enquired about her family background. She said that her father was no more. Mother who was working as a coolie had managed to send the girl to the college. After completing the degree course, she was at home without knowing what to do with vision in only one eye.
      The counsellor advised Rajalakshmi to undergo cataract surgery through the eye camp and asked her to come to Tirunelveli along with other patients for operation. But the patient was reluctant to come alone for operation. The counsellor emphasised the need for surgery in the left eye and advised to obtain the permission of her mother and come to the hospital at Tirunelveli on the next wednesday.
      Rajalakshmi should have made up her mind. She turned up to the hospital on wednesday for surgery. Immediately she was admitted as an inpatient. A Medical Officer of the hospital performed the operation successfully. After sometime, the counsellor visited her ward room and enquired whether she was having any pain. “Not much”, the patient said. She then informed the counsellor with some excitement what the surgeon had told her during the operation.
      “Doctor Sir spoke to me while performing the operation. He asked about my educational qualification. I replied that I have completed my degree course and presently staying in my house not knowing what to do with my vision in one eye. Then Doctor Sir asked me that if he secures a job for me in some other place, would I join the same. I gladly said yes”.
      The girl continued and said, “I am going to get my vision (in the left eye) because of you. And with the vision I am going to get a job opportunity also. I am grateful to the Doctor and your hospital for this help”.
      The patient after discharge came back to the hospital for a follow up. She was able to see clearly with the eye that was operated upon. And she had got the job too.
The hospital which helped the girl was Aravind Eye Hospital at Tirunelveli and the surgeon who performed the operation was the CMO Dr. R. Ramakrishnan.

Source: R. Indira Selvi, Aravind - Tirunelveli
Script: K.V.S. Lakshmanan.

NOVEMBER 2008
Hospitals	Madurai	Theni	Tirunelveli	Coimbatore	Puducherry		Total
HOSPITAL OUT-PATIENT VISITS
Paying (New & Review)	34,371	5,704	15,496	23,115	13,657	15,315	107,658
Free (Direct walk-in)	9,976	1,636	4,739	8,282	4,263	-	28,896
OUTREACH OUT PATIENTS
Regular Eye Camps	5,213	2,311	3,792	8,119	3,609	7,870	30,914
Lifeline Express Camp	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Diabetic Retinopathy camps	1,508	-	1,489	1,872	156	-	5,025
Refraction Camps	-	366	794	583	390	993	3,126
School Screening	20,984	-	1,606	611	776	-	23,977
Vision Centres	3,197	3,061	2,181	1,269	1,166	-	10,874
Community Eye Clinics	2,728	1,121	1,969	2,264	-	-	8,082
Total OP Examinations	77,977	14,199	32,066	46,115	24,017	24,178	218,552
SURGERIES
Paying	4,507	406	1,619	2,808	1,204	932	11,476
Lifeline Express Camp	-	-	-	-	-	52	52
Free (including the subsidized camp surgeries)	1,968	210	739	1,933	585	-	5,435
Camp	1,133	144	756	1,779	688	2,345	6,845
Total Surgeries	7,608	760	3,114	6,520	2,477	3,329	23,808