Accolades recognising the leaders implies recognition of the system they have built and nurtured over the years. Hence, the Padma Shri awards consistently conferred upon members of the Aravind family, starting from Dr. G. Venkataswamy in 1973, followed by Dr. P. Namperumalsamy in 2007, and now upon Dr. G. Natchiar in 2024, stands as a token of acknowledgement from the Government of India, honouring their individual and collective contributions to serving the community.

Dr. Natchiar, a visionary ophthalmologist and transformative leader, has made invaluable contributions by nurturing the paramedical programme and continuously monitoring and refining Aravind’s innovative model for delivering eye care services to rural communities through vision centres and outreach initiatives. Moreover, she has wholeheartedly dedicated herself to instilling and upholding the values and culture that will sustain the organisation for years to come. All such contributions to society have earned her honour.

The inauguration of a new vision centre in Komaralingam, Tiruppur District, bringing the total count to 111, signifies progressive steps towards extending much-needed eye care services to those in need. Additionally, Aravind’s non-clinical routine activities, such as symposiums, workshops, continuing professional education (CPE), and continuing medical education (CME) sessions, were held fostering fellowship among staff members, promoting knowledge exchange, and enhancing professional skills, all to serve the community.

This edition features news about these and much more.

Note: The events that happened between 15th January and 15th February are featured here.

Pondicherry, 9-11 February

Aravind-Pondicherry won first prize at the institutional level in the Farm Fest 2024-cum-34^th Flower, Vegetable, and Fruit Show organised by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of Puducherry.

Pondicherry, 2^nd February

At the CII Pondicherry Innovation Contest, a team comprising Dr. Kunal A Mandlik, Dr. Prabhu Krishna, and Dr. Nishant Vivekanand, DNB residents, Aravind-Pondicherry, and Dr. Kunjal, DNB resident, Aravind-Chennai, secured second place for their innovative device, LumiZoom.

Aravind-Madurai

Medical Consultants from Aravind-Madurai, Dr. Anchitha Meenu, Dr. Meri Debbarma, and Dr. Sivadarshan, and Retina Fellows, Dr. Ananya Goswami, Dr. Athul S. Puthlath, Dr. Avik Dey Sarkar, Dr. Kulsum Sayyad, Dr. Pragathi, Dr. Raghavendra, Dr. Reshma Dara, Dr. Saumya Jain, Dr. Shivani Srivatsava, Dr. Shraddha Shah, and Dr. Toshit Varshney have successfully cleared the FAICO examination.

Coimbatore, 25^th January

Dr. P. Namperumalsamy, Chairman Emeritus, AECS, was honoured with the PSG Vishwa Seva Rathna Award by PSG & Sons’ Charities, Coimbatore, on the occasion of the 98^th Founders’ Day.

Delhi, 2-4 February

Dr. R. Ramakrishnan, Advisor, Aravind-Tirunelveli, was conferred with the Prof. N.N. Sood Lecture award at the 57^th Annual Foundation Day Celebrations of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS, Delhi.

Aravind-Madurai, 3-4 February

Under the guidance of Dr. G. Natchiar, the first-ever meeting of the electrical maintenance staff was held at Aravind-Madurai with the aim to foster fellowship, discuss recent parameter audits, share experiences and outcomes, review lessons learned from incidents, discuss energy and cost-saving practices, promote environmental sustainability, and outline future development activities.

During the meeting, Dr. S.R. Krishnadas, Senior Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services at Aravind-Madurai, delivered a special address emphasising the significance of the electrical department in healthcare systems. A technical learning session was conducted by a resource person from L&T, a major electrical equipment manufacturer.

As part of the programme, participants were taken to Aravind-Madurai facilities, Aurolab, Aurofarm, and Nithyatha, along with visits to Meenakshi Amman temple and Alagarkovil temple. The session concluded with a brief meeting with Dr. G. Natchiar.

Aravind-Madurai, 1-2 February

The Central Office of HR, Aravind-Madurai, organised an HR Retreat attended by Regional HR Directors from various zones, MLOP Doctor In-Charge-1, and MLOP Superintendent-1 from all hospitals. Facilitated by the HR Team’s mentor, Cindy Harrison, Vice President, Human Resources, Henry Ford Health System, the retreat focused on strategic HR planning for 2024. The team’s engagement with external HR consultants last year, studying the employees’ perspectives, was presented as a report during the retreat. 

Aravind-Madurai, 12^th February

The Department of Cataract and IOL Services at Aravind-Madurai hosted the Cataract Retreat. The retreat aimed to facilitate discussions on current practices and identify opportunities for standardisation amidst evolving trends in cataract surgery. The event featured multiple sessions and discussions, leading in the formulation of a roadmap for future initiatives. This gathering brought together HODs, SMOs, and MLOPs from the IOL Departments of various Aravind centres.

Aravind-Madurai, 10-11 February

The Department of Cataract and IOL Services, Aravind-Madurai organised a CME Programme titled Phacoexcel 2024 under the theme “Explore the Excellence”. The event included classroom lectures and video sessions focusing on case handlings in cataract surgery. Renowned international and national speakers, along with internal faculty members from Aravind, led the sessions. A total of 153 delegates participated in the event. Additionally, a pre-conference workshop, held the day before the main event, provided hands-on training in secondary IOL implantation and simulated phacoemulsification techniques, benefiting 29 participants.

Aravind-Madurai, 30-31 January

The Central HR Team organised the two-day workshop aimed at empowering participants with essential principles for personal and professional growth. Conducted by the certified trainer, Cindy Harrison, who was personally trained by Stephen Covey, the workshop included interactive sessions, group discussions, and practical exercises. These sessions helped attendees gain insights into each habit and apply them in their daily lives. Around 40 participants from the managerial cadre and a few doctors across Aravind Eye Hospitals attended. 

Aravind-Madurai, 27-28 January

Aravind-Madurai organised a two-day symposium on diabetic retinopathy led by Dr. R. Kim, Chief Medical Officer, Aravind-Madurai, Dr. Naresh Babu, Chief, Retina Vitreous Services, Aravind-Madurai, Dr. V. Muthukrishnan, Retina Consultant, Aravind-Madurai, and the organising committee. The programme commenced with the ceremonial lamp lighting by Dr. P. Namperumalsamy,  and Dr. G. Natchiar.

The event served as a platform for discussions on retinal damage due to diabetes and the latest advancements in treatment procedures. Renowned experts in the field of ophthalmology from America and Israel were involved in the discussion virtually. Sessions highlighted topics such as epidemiology, clinical pearls in diabetic macular edema (DME), investigative modalities, surgical modules, and the future of diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Prominent experts from various parts of the country, Dr. Shukla, Dr. Lowenstein, Dr. Rajiv Raman, Dr. Mahesh Shanmugam, and Dr. Mahesh Gopalakrishnan, actively engaged in this conference. The symposium garnered attendance from approximately 200 delegates across India.

Aravind-Madurai, 26-28 January

A three-day CPE programme was organised for the Stores team from all Aravind centres, focusing on enhancing clarity regarding inventory management practices, standardising store functions, defining roles and responsibilities of staff, and providing training on the Material management system (MMS).

The resource persons included Dr. Balaji, Dean, MBA Programme, Thiyagaraja School of Management, who presented on the Importance of achieving operational performance in stores. Additionally, Sivaram, AGM, and Kannan, Senior Manager, TAFE, Madurai, facilitated an interactive session on Supply chain reorganisation.

Aravind–Tirupati, 25^th January

Aurosambaralu is a monthly event at Aravind-Tirupati designed to bring out the talents of staff members and foster unity among departments. This year’s Aurosambaralu commenced with a Rangoli competition themed around Republic Day, enthusiastically participated in by MLOPs and administrative staff. A patient’s attendant served as the judge, evaluating the colourful Rangoli creations.

Aravind-Coimbatore, 24^th January

Aravind’s 111^th Vision Centre at Komaralingam, Tirupur District, was inaugurated by R. Jeyaramkrishnan, Former MP, Madathukulam, in the presence of Dr. V. Narendran, Chief Medical Officer, Aravind-Coimbatore, and prominent members from the locality, including K. Eswarasamy, M.A. Shahul Hameed, Sharmila Banu Zahra Hussain, and A. Achimuthu. The centre will be managed by Aravind-Coimbatore. On the first day, a total of 40 patients had their eyes examined.

Aravind-Theni, 9-10 January

The two-day Personnel meet held at Theni focused on highlighting the importance of the personnel department, its role, processes, and responsibilities. The programme included various sessions covering topics such as policies, planning and scheduling work, discussions about statutory acts applicable to hospitals, process flow within the department, allocation of additional duties and responsibilities, centralisation of work, and sharing. A total of 18 attendees, including senior managers, managers, nursing superintendents, coordinators, and admin assistants from 14 branches, participated in the event.

Madurai, 23^rd January

Aravind Medical Research Foundation (AMRF) participated in the National Conference on Frontiers in Life Science Research (NCFLSR 24), organised by The American College, Madurai. During the programme, Prof. K. Dharmalingam, Director-Research, AMRF, delivered an invited lecture on Extracellular vesicles: Signaling to epigenetic regulation, and research scholars presented posters on various topics. R. Sethu Nagarajan and R. Iswarya received the best poster awards.

Below are the titles of the posters presented by the research scholars:

•  R.Iswarya – Protein profiling of human trabecular meshwork stem cell derived exosomes by mass spectrometry (Best poster award)
• R. Sethu Nagarajan– Evaluation of GD2 Synthase as a Prognostic Biomarker in Retinoblastoma (Best poster award)
• Hariharan– Isolation and characterisation of the extracellular vesicles from Aspergillus flavus clinical isolate and a saprophyte
• Praveen Kumar– Human corneal mirnas and their role in pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis
• T.Gr. Aadhithiya – Deciphering the proteome signature of plasma extracellular vesicles from proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients

Aurolab, 27^th January

Aurolab celebrated its 32^nd anniversary with the theme “Enabling vision for all”, commemorating Aurolab’s growth, values, and culture as well as its ability to gain a significant place in the ophthalmology market.

Dignitaries including Dr. P. Balakrishnan, Managing Director Emeritus, Aurolab, Dr. P. Namperumalsamy, Dr. Natchiar, Aurolab Trustee & Director Emeritus, AECS, Dr. Vijayalakshmi, Chief, Vision Rehabilitation Centre, and Dr. M. Srinivasan, Director Emeritus, AECS, graced the event.

R.D. Sriram, Managing Director, Aurolab, delivered a felicitation address, followed by a special talk by the chief guest, Dr. V. Siddharthan, Medical Director and Chief Ophthalmologist, TSM Eye Hospital. Dr. Balakrishnan unveiled Aurolab’s new logo, while Dr. P. Namperumalsamy revealed the corporate video. Chithra Thulasiraj, Chief, Aravind Communications, AECS, released Aurolab’s corporate brochure, which was received by Lakshmi Siddharthan, TSM Eye Hospital.

Service awards were presented to employees. During the logo launch, balloons with lights were released into the sky, accompanied by sky lanterns, adding a moment of excitement. The cultural programme, featuring staff dance and drama performances, made the occasion even more engaging.

Amritsar, 27-29 January

Aurolab’s Domestic Marketing Division personnel showcased their products at the 5^th Winter IIRSI 2024 conference organised by the Intraocular Implant and Refractive Society of India (IIRSI) held at Taj Swarna, Amritsar. During the conference, Dr. Rishi Raj Singh shared his experience with the Aurovue Vivid CFV IOL, while Dr. T.P. Lahane shared his experience with the Aurovue EV Toric IOL, implanted the same in a live surgery session, and demonstrated its effectiveness.

Rajasthan and Kerala, 20 January–1^st February

Aurolab’s marketing team conducted a roadshow campaign featuring the Hawk-i slit-lamp diagnostic equipment at various institutes and hospitals in Rajasthan and Kerala.

Vigneshpandian, Diagnostic Equipment Product Manager, along with his team, led this roadshow, loading a vehicle with Aurolab’s Hawk-i slit-lamp to make it easy for doctors to experience the quality of Hawk-i Slit Lamp Technology firsthand. The team visited a total of six institutes and nine hospitals during these activities.

Mumbai, 27-28 January

The LAICO team actively participated in The Lions Give Conclave, organised by Lions International, at the Jio World Centre, BKC, Mumbai. The event highlighted various initiatives by LIONS Club International, such as sight-first initiatives, blood donation camps, dialysis centres, etc. Thulasiraj Ravilla, Executive Director, LAICO, delivered a talk on Cutting-edge technology and charitable eye hospitals: How to make the twin meet.

At the LAICO stall, the team showcased their work and ongoing initiatives, including the bundling of equipment with Aurolab at Vision Centres. LAICO faculty members Yesunesan, Mohammed Gowth, and a marketing executive from Aurolab, Deena Dayalan, engaged with teams from various Lions Eye hospitals. They shared insights into LAICO’s current initiatives and established connections with both early mentees and new members.

LAICO, 12-17 January

The 22^nd batch of the one-week training programme, organised by LAICO, saw 24 participants from India, Nepal, and Maldives. Commencing with an inspiring note by Dr. Raja Sabapathy, the course provided different aspects of eye hospital management, including demand generation, operational excellence, quality assurance, evidence-based management, financial management, and HR management. Finally, the course concluded with a leadership session by Prof. DVR Seshadri.

London, 26^th January

Dr. Manju R. Pillai, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind-Madurai, delivered presentations at various sessions during the UK Paediatric Glaucoma Society Annual Meeting, UKPGS 2024, held at the Cavendish Conference Centre, London. The titles of her talks are as follows:

• AADI in secondary childhood glaucoma – Congenital Rubella syndrome post PKP (Tube symposium session)
• Rare case of Adams Oliver syndrome with secondary childhood Glaucoma (Rapid fire-clinical session)
• Clinical evaluation protocol for childhood glaucoma (Rapid fire –videos session)