ANTÓNIO CHAMPALIMAUD VISION AWARD FOR ARAVIND EYE CARE SYSTEM
Lisbon, Portugal, September 7, 2007
The António Champalimaud Vision Award was presented to the Aravind Eye Care System at a ceremony in Lisbon. Chairman Dr. P. Namperumalsamy received the award.
      On September 7 the António Champalimaud Vision Award inaugural ceremony was held at Lisbon, Portugal. The award carries with it 1 million Euros. The ceremony was held in the presence of the President of the Portuguese Republic, Aníbal Cavaco Silva. The award ceremony featured speeches from Leonor Beleza, President of the Champalimaud Foundation, Professor Alfred Sommer, President of the Jury,Dr P.N.Namperumalsamy, Chairman, Aravind Eye Care System, and Dr.Aníbal Cavaco Silva, President of the Portuguese Republic. Dr. G. Natchiar, Vice-Chairman,Mr. G. Srinivasan, Director-Finance, Mr. R.D. Thulasiraj, Executive Director, LAICO also participated in the ceremony.

YOGAM WORKSHOP PART I
Aravind-Puducherry, September 8-12, 2007
As part of the Leadership Enhancement Programme, a course for senior ophthalmologists on leadership skills was initiated this year. The workshop titled “Yogam” will be conducted in three phases every year. The first phase of Yogam 07 was held at Puducherry from September 8-12.
      A total of 15 senior ophthalmologists from all the 5 hospitals participated in the workshop along with the CMO’s and the Senior Leadership Team. The workshop was held in two parts. The first two days were spent in an Outbound Training Program conducted by the Pegasus Training Institute at Marakaanam near Puducherry. Through the activities conducted during the 2 days, the group learnt important lessons on discipline, teamwork, giving feedback and leadership. This experiential learning was both fun and effective and helped each of the participants get to know themselves and each other better.
      The next three days of the workshop was held in Auroville. This phase of the workshop focused on values, visioning, strategic thinking and leadership. There were several guest speakers including Shri Vijay Poddar from Sri Aurobindo Society, Prof L Prasad from IIM Bangalore, Mr. Nagarajan from Seva, Dr. Prasad Kaipa, a management consultant from California, and two Aurovillians Ms. Deepti Tewari and Mr. Jean Yves Lung. The next phase of Yogam 07 will be held in Coimbatore from November 23-25, 2007.

INAUGURATION OF GANDHIGRAM VISION CENTRE
Gandhigram, September 17, 2007
Gandhigram Vision Centre was inaugurated on September 17 by the Freedom Fighter LKB Lagumaiah and Dr.Kausalya Devi, Managing Trustee, Gandhigram in the presence of Dr. P. Namperumalsamy, Chairman, AECS, Mr. G. Srinivasan, President, Govel Trust and Dr. G. Natchiyar, Vice Chairman, AECS, Mr.M.R.Rajagopal, Secretary, Gandhigram Trust, Mr.K.Shivakumar, Treasurer, Gandhigram Trust and many other dignitaries. Gandhigram is located at 56 Km away from Madurai. The Vision Centre will provide Eye Care to the population of 1, 00,000. This is a first Vision Centre of Aravind in the Dindigul district.

INAUGURATION OF AUROLAB'S NEW FACILITY
Aurolab’s new facility was inaugurated at veerapanchan, in the beautiful Aurofarm complex, by Dr. Allen Foster, President, Christoffel Blinden Mission International, Germany on 30th September, 2007.
      Dr. Foster said that the number of visually challenged people in the world has now come down to 37 million from the projected figure of 57 million thanks to the efforts of eye care systems such as Aravind. Such an effort was possible because of the vision, intelligence and passion with which AECS went about its job of preventing needless blindness. Providing good quality services at low cost for a high number of cases speak volumes about the efficiency and effectiveness of their eye care delivery system, he further said.
      Offering felicitations, David Green, U.S. consultant, said Aurolab had a key role to play in catering to the medical needs of people belonging to the low income group by manufacturing and providing low-cost intraocular lens and other ophthalmic materials.
      Collector S.S. Jawahar said AECS has become synonymous with quality, and the services rendered by them was remarkable.
      Suzanne S. Gilbert, Director, Centre for Innovation in Eye Care, Seva Foundation, U.S., recalled how a survey in Nepal, which indicated more than half of the population were functionally blind when they shunned the use of thick spectacles after cataract surgery, propelled Dr. G. Venkataswamy, AECS founder, to start an exclusive production unit for manufacture of intraocular lenses at affordable cost.
      Commending the services rendered to society by AECS, Karumuttu T. Kannan, managing director, Thiagarajar Mills, said Aravind Hospital had etched the name of the city in the world map. It had become a role model for other institutions.
      Showering accolades on the founder of AECS, R. Pararajasekaran, consultant, World Health Organisation, said at a time when everyone exercised more caution than optimism while considering introduction of intraocular lens (IOL) in developing countries, it was Dr. Venkataswamy’s proactive approach which facilitated introduction of IOL in the country.
      Dr. P. Namperumalsamy, Chairman, AECS, G. Srinivasan, President, Aurolab Trust, Mr. P. Balakrishnan, Managing Director, Aurolab, Mr. S. Rethinavelu, president, Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, took part.

THE HINDU

- Prof. Eugenio Monteiro was at Aravind-Madurai from September 3-4, the purpose of the visit is to understand the ways of working and to meet the team members in Aravind Eye Care System.
- Ms. Julia Whiteside-de Vos, Ohio, United States was at Aravind-Madurai from September 6-7, the purpose of his visit was to study the functioning of the Aravind Eye Care System and she also delivered a guest lecture to our doctors on Visual fields.
- Dr. Dorothea, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK visited AMRF from September 10-19 to discuss about INDEYE collaborative research project with faculties and research scholars.








- Dr. Jateen Shah and Dr. Ashok Chaudry, Technical Advisors from Lions CLUB International Foundation were visited Aravind-Madurai from September 24-27, to give their inputs for the participants of Vision building and strategic planning workshop.
- Mr. Mark Lancaster, Executive Director, SEVA-United States was at Aravind-Madurai from September 27-October2, to attend the Aurolab’s inauguration and to get an overview of Aravind Eye care System.
- Dr. Suzzane, Mr and Mrs. Nagarajan are at Aravind-Madurai from September 28-October 12, to attend the Aurolab inauguration and attended the corporate the series of workshops at LAICO.

LET US CONGRATULATE HIS NEIGHBOUR
Without the advice of his neighbour, Sethu, a 37-year-old electrician from Kambam in Theni district, would have remained blind.
      Sethu had sustained an injury on his left eye a few years ago, rendering it almost useless. He was managing his daily activities with his right eye. Recently, when he was engaged in wiring a building, an electrical wire (thankfully not live) accidentally hit his right eye causing severe pain. He immediately went to a local eye hospital where he was told that he has sustained corneal injury. They gave him eye drops and tablets. After a few days the injury got healed. But as a scar developed on his cornea, Sethu lost vision in that eye also.
      Sethu, for all practical purposes, was now blind and, as a result, he could not do his wiring work. Since he had no other source of income, his family found it very difficult to survive. Seeing the poverty-stricken family, one of Sethu's neighbors suggested go to Aravind Eye Hospital.
      When Sethu arrived at Aravind, the doctors who examined his eyes told him that he could regain sight in the right eye if he agree to undergo corneal transplant surgery, and he agreed without hesitation. He had to wait for 3 days in the hospital ward for a donor eye and when it was received, surgery was performed. Considering the economic condition of Sethu, Dr. M. Srinivasan performed the operation free of cost.
      Now Sethu has regained clear vision in his right eye, and has returned home after profusely thanking Aravind Eye Hospital, the Eye Bank and the donor family for being instrumental in giving him fresh lease of sightful life. Now he can resume his wiring work, earn and support his family.
      The real hero of this episode is Sethu’s neighbour. But for the information given by him, Sethu would still be languishing in visual darkness and the gloom of poverty. Let us congratulate him.
      Making aware of the existing facilities to treat and restore eye sight is also an appreciable act. Many persons who have lost vision due to corneal trauma and corneal diseases are languishing in blindness without knowing that there are hospitals like Aravind which could restore their sight.

Source: Rotary Aravind International Eye Bank
Script: K.V.S. Lakshmanan

SEPTEMBER 2007
Hospitals	Madurai	Theni	Tirunelveli	Coimbatore	Puducherry	Managed Eye Hospitals	Total
HOSPITAL OUT-PATIENT VISITS
Paying (New-Review)	34,810	5,427	15,572	22,737	15,327	10,113	103,986
Free (Direct walk-in)	24,772	4,660	10,685	15,071	14,456	-	69,644
OUTREACH OUT PATIENTS
Regular Eye Camps	12,966	2,752	5,018	6,998	8,105	5,294	41,133
Diabetic Retinopathy Camps	833	-	1,405	3,015	5,047	-	10,300
Mobile Van Camps	289	-	224	175	-	-	688
Refractive Camps	416	646	1,096	227	-	2,358	4,743
School Eye Screening	911	2,119	340	939	-	3,299	7,608
Vision Centres	1,725	-	742	358	502	-	3,327
Community Eye Clinics	2,898	-	1,882	2,197	-	-	6,977
Total OP Examinations	79,620	15,604	36,964	51,717	43,437	21,064	248,406
SURGERIES
Paying	4,516	351	1,546	2,340	1,213	503	10,469
Free (including the subsidized camp surgeries)	1,976	209	863	1,584	664	-	5,296
Through Outreach	2,358	353	1,068	1,401	1,799	1,131	8,110
Total Surgeries	8,850	913	3,477	5,325	3,676	1,634	23,875