Sankara Nethralaya to expand eye care facility in city

Kolkata, Aug 19 (UNI) Along with their new set-up in the heart of the city, Chennai-based Eye Speciality Hospital Sankara Nethralaya Medical Research Foundation will be extending their services by opening up another facility in the city's southern fringes.

This facility was set up here mainly to cater to the needs of patients in the eastern part of the country wherefrom a large number of patients regularly travel south just to consult Sankara Nethralaya, Kolkata, Vitreo-Retinal Consultant Dr Sourav Sinha said today.

''This facility in Mukundapur will be set up in April 2008 with support from Paschim Banga Rajya Pratibandhi Sammilini on a 0.55 acres of land with three main building that will house a state-of- art laboratory for advanced research, several operation theatres, a library and facility for further training the doctors, who will be joining us from our Chennai branch,'' said Dr Sinha at the inaugural function of their new eye care and treatment facility in Central Kolkata.

Dr S S Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus and President of the Board of Management of Medical Research Foundation, Chennai said, ''Initially, 25 per cent of the operations, we conduct here, will be done free of cost for those, who are unable to pay for the expenses and we wish to increase the number as we proceed.'' The invited guests at the function included West Bengal Health and Family Welfare Minister Surja Kanta Mishra as the Chief Guest, Sunderban Affairs Minister Kanti Ganguly and Kolkata Municipal Corporation Commissioner Alapan Bandhopadhyay as the Guest of Honour.

Dr Mishra said he believed in Dr Badrinath's dream of making Sankara Nethralaya the largest eye care centre in the whole of the southeastern region.

UNI