Arvind Eye Hospital and Birlas set up speciality centre

Kolkata, May 1 (UNI) For the first time in Eastern India, a speciality eye hospital, in collaboration with Arvind Eye hospital, Madurai, was inaugurated here today.

Set up by the MP Birla Foundation at an expenditure of Rs. 20 crore, the 46-bed Priyamvad Birla Arvind Eye Hospital has multi-facility units dealing with various fields related to eye besides having a higly-equipped outpatient department.

M P Birla Group Chairman R S Lodha said the hospital, with highly trained doctors both from Kolkata and Madurai, had set a target of performing 20,000 surgeries and treating 250,000 people every year.

Going by the philanthropic spirit of the Arvind eye foundation, the authorities of Priyamvada Birla Arvind Eye Hospital kept a provision for free of cost treatment for the poor, he announced.

The Arvind Eye Hospital, which is largest of its kind in Asia, entered into an agreement with MP Brila Foundation for extending technical assistance and expertise. Mr Lodha said the proposed cancer hospital, being set up by the Foundation at Satna at a cost of Rs. 10 crore, would be operational by the end of this year. The hospital would cover eight tribal-dominated districts, he said.

Speaking on the occasion as Chief guest, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee lauded the effort and said the venture was another feather to the cap of Kolkata, making strides in the path of development.

Speaking on behalf of Arvind Eye Hospital, noted eye surgeon P Nam said they had sought the Centre's approval for setting up of the country's first university on ophthalmic sciences.

To develop human resources required to serve the huge number of patients in the country," we have applied with the Ministry for Human Resources for setting up of such an university," he said.

The 40,000 square-foot Priymvada Devi Birla Arvind Eye Hospital has 24-hour emergency service, seven opeation theatres, super speciality eye clinics, an eye bank and a pharmacy.

UNI