November 1997-March 1998 Sankara Nethralaya Number 17 & 18 CHANGE AND CONTINUITY Dr. T.S. Surendran, Assistant Medical Director will soon become Medical Director, Medical Research Foundation, Dr. S. S. Badrinath who has been the Medical Director of the institution since its inception in 1978 will become the Chief Executive of the organization. After 19 years of single minded service to the organization, Dr.S.S.Badrinath, Founder and Medical Director of Medical Research Foundation will be retiring from his present post on 24 February, 1998. Dr.T.S,Surendran, his successor, has been with the institution since 1979 and has served as Assistant Medical Director since 1990. He has qualified with a graduate degree in hospital administration from BITS, Pilani (in association with CMC, Vellore and Tulane University, USA). Dr. S.S.Badrinath as Chief Executive will continue to be associated with all the activities of Sankara Nethralaya. Free from the chores of the day to day running of the hospital, he will be more involved in teaching and research areas besides continuing to take a deep interest in patient care and planning the future direction of the institution. Dr.S.S.Badrinath will be handing over the post of Medical Director to make way for the younger Dr.T.S.Surendran, Being actively involved in the administration of the hospital for the past 7 years, Dr.Surendran will bring to his new post a wealth of experience in hospital management. Change amidst continuity will foster the further growth and development of the institution into the 21st century. ISO 9002 for Sankara Nethralaya Finally we have it. For implementation and management of quality systems with management of quality systems with respect to ophthalmic care and sevices, Sankara Nethralaya has been recommended for the prestigious ISO 9002 certification on December 19, 1997 by KPMG Quality Registrar USA, an accredited third party registrar of international repute. The Centre of Business Transformaton(CBT), the consultancy division of Aptech Ltd. Chennai was employed as our consultant for documenting and implementing the systems and procedure to meet ISO standards. The ISO 9000 series standards define the formal system necessary to assure technical, administrative and human excellence according to internation standards. The comprehensive eye care services coming under the certification not only include administrative activities of the hospital but more importantly, professional ophthalmic practice, laboratory facilities, nursing, operation theatres, medical record keeping etc. all of which directly involve the patient. This cerftification formalizes our commitment to provide excellence in eye care. Sankara Nethralaya will achieve a record of sorts by becoming the first eye hospital in Asia to have the ISO 9002 certification. The One-Stop Shop Patients visiting their ophthalmologists commonly have glasses prescribed and many of them would like to have their new spectacles made at the same place cutting short an additional visit to the optician’s shop. Keeping in mind this one-stop shop concept to providing total eye care , Sankara Nethralaya launched its optical dispensing service on August 15, 1997. The optical dispensing center is managed by GKB Rx Lens Pvt. Ltd. Which has over three decades of expertise in this field. The center is exclusively meant for patients of Sankara Nethralaya. The other purpose of starting this unit was to provide high quality lenses in both glass and plastic at affordable costs. Patients undergoing free surgeries at the hospital are also provided glasses free of cost. Mr. Jyoti Balaji of the Optical Services facility at Sankara Nethralaya is managing the shop. NEWS BRIEFS Meetings attended The macula Meeting 1997 was conducted by Singapore National Eye Centre. Sankara Nethralaya took an active part in this meet, with Dr.S.S.Badrinath, Dr.lingam Gopal and Dr.Tarun Sharma forming part of the distinguished foreign faculty. Dr. Jyotirmay Biswas was invited to deliver a keynote lecture on “Aetiopathogenesis of Eales’ disease – Research at Sankara Nethralaya” at the Fourth International Symposium of Uveitis (ISU) held in Japan in October 1997. Dr.Biswas is the only Indian to have been nominated as a member of the prestigious International Uveitis Study Group comprising 40 experts from all over the world Dr.T.S.Surendran, Dr.Mahesh Shanmugam, Dr.G.Sitalakshmi and Dr.B.Shantha attended the 1997 American Academy of Ophthalmology Meeting in San Francisco and presented papers and Posters. Community Service Sankara Nethralaya introduced a new dimension to the community service programme by offering free treatment to all freedom fighters. This formed part of the 50 resolutions taken by the institution on the occasion the Golden Jubilee of Indian Independence. Pammal Annexe Update Sankara Nethralaya’s new extension at Pammal in the outskirts of the city has performed more than 2500 cataract surgery free of cost to the deserving poor since its inception in June 1997. Pammal Annexe, as it is referred to, has 60 beds, and 2 Operation Theatres. 60% of the beds of this hospital are reserved for poor patients who are provided with completely free services. The remaining beds have been earmarked for paying patients who will be charged at concessional rates only. Take moment to Read Medical Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya has completed 19 years of service to the ophthalmic patients of our country. We are in the process of expansion. We are planning to construct a Community Hospital at St.Thomas Mount, Chennai at cost of Rs.23 crores. We need funds and we request you to extend your helping hands and contribute generously, Donations to the above project are 100% exempted under 35AC of the Income Tax Act 1961. Mission for Vision – Support our cause (for question and contributions) In India please contact: Dr.S.S.Badrinath, Medical Director, Sankara Nethralaya (Unit of Medical Research Foundation) 18, College Road, Chennai – 600 006. Tamil Nadu, INDIA Tel : (91-044) 826 1260, 8261265, 827 1036, 827 1616, 8279435 Fax: (91-044) 825 4180 Email : [email protected] Web Site: http://www.dynacs.com/-sankaranethralaya/ In USA please contact: Mr.S.V. Acharya, Secretary and Treasurer, Ophthalmic Misson Trust inc. (OM Trust) 14613, Pommel Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA Tel: (301) 251 0378 Fax: (202) 293 0448 Available Back issues of certain volumes of Insight Journal. Insight is the scientific journal of Medical Research Foundation and carries articles on Ophthalmology and related Basic Sciences. Those interested in these back issues may kindly contact The Editor, Insight, Sankara Nethralaya. Dr. H.N.Madhavan Honoured Dr.H.N.Madhavan, Director – Research (Basic Sciences) and Vice-President, Vision Research Foundation has been elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Medical Science(India).This award is an honour bestowed on him as an acknowledgement of his achievements in medical education and research in field of Microbiology. Dr. Madhavan played a major role in the development of Department of Microbiology particularly virology at Jawaharlal Institute for Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry. He is known intemationally for his research work in microbiology and has several research publications to his credit. Among the earlist contributors in the investigation of enterovirus infections of the central nervous system in India, his report on the outbreak of Coxsackie virus B6 infection being the first in the literature. He was awarded a Phd. By the University of Madras for his thesis on the role of viruses in myocarditis with particular reference to cell- mediated immunity in experimental Coxsackie virus B3 myocarditis. As Director of Research at Sankara Nethralaya, he has organized excellent research facilities and continues his research work in ophthalmic infections and immunological diseases. He demonstrated the presence of high incidence of chlamydial ocular infections in patients attending Sankara Nethralaya, the first such report in our country. He discovered the existence of Mitomycin (MMC) “sensitive “ and “resistant” strains of Tenon’s capsule fibroblasts in human eye and showed their role in the outcome of the use of MMC in trabeculectomy in glaucoma. His work on virological investigations in retinal inflammation was the first of its kind in our country. He has pioneered rapid diagnostic methods in chlamydial and viral diseases of eye. Under his guidance the Microbiology Research Centre at Vision Research Foundation has developed the polymerase chain reaction, a new molecular biological method, as a tool in detection of several infective agents from clinical specimens. On the occasion of 50 th Anniversary of India’s Independence, Life insurance Corporation donated Rs.13 lakhs to Sankara Nethralaya on 3rd July ’97. They also adopted 13 beds in the general ward. The Chief Invitees were Mr. P. Chidambaram Hon’ble Union Finance Minister, Shri G. Krishnamurthy, Chairman, L.I.C., Shri R.N. Tripathi, Managing Director, Shri B.R. Gupta, Executive Director (Investment). Shri P.V. Subramanian, Zonal Manager, South Zone, Shri H.Faruqi, Chief (PR & Publicity) and Shri R. Subramaniam, Chartered Accountant. Ocular Tumour Meet Medical and Vision Research Foundation organized a symposium on What’s New in Ocular Tumours on 7th & 8th February 1998. For the first time the important subspecialty of ocular tumours was dealt with in a separate symposium. For the first time ophthalmologists as well as experts from other disciplines