‘S.S. Badrinath wanted to ensure quality eye care for everyone’

N. Ram, Director, The Hindu Group Publishing Private Limited, T.S. Surendran, chairman, Sankara Nethralaya, and P. Namperumalsamy, Chairman Emeritus, Aravind Eye Care System, at the memorial service held in Sankara Nethralaya on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: M. VEDHAN

At a memorial service held to mark the death anniversary of S.S. Badrinath, founder of Sankara Nethralaya, on Saturday, speakers recalled his contributions to the field of ophthalmology, his motive of providing affordable and accessible eye care for all and imparting training to doctors across the country, and his professional integrity and humility.

P. Namperumalsamy, Chairman Emeritus, Aravind Eye Care System, speaking at the memorial service held at Sankara Nethralaya, said he was closely associated with Dr. Badrinath for half a century. “We worked under the same mentor (Charles L. Schepens) and imbibed the same work culture,” he said. Their mentor, he added, had one condition for foreign medical graduates — he wanted them to pledge to go back to their country of origin and serve their people.

Dr. Badrinath wanted to ensure quality treatment for everyone and worked with the motive to provide affordable and accessible care for all, he said, adding: “He made sure that he trained people all over the country.”

Dr. Namperumalsamy said: “He mastered a complex surgical specialty and established technology expertise.”

Referring to Sankara Nethralaya and Aravind Eye Care System, N. Ram, Director, The Hindu Group Publishing Private Limited, said they were two models that everyone should learn from. “Two models of not-for-profit ventures started decades ago, both making a huge difference in the state of eye care in the country, and founded by iconic figures,” he said.

He said the two models were able to sustain themselves in terms of quality, impact, and scale over such a long period, which was a considerable achievement. “Dr. Badrinath and Dr. Namperumalsamy are iconic figures in the field of eye care, not only in India but also internationally,” he said.

T.S. Surendran, chairman, Sankara Nethralaya, Prema Padmanabhan, distinguished senior consultant, cornea and refractive surgery, Sankara Nethralaya, and Smita Praveen, director, academics and registrar, The Sankara Nethralaya Academy, also spoke.