PM Modi inaugurates new hospital at Varanasi
On October 20, 2024, Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF), USA reached a new milestone in its Vision 2030: March to a Million journey with the inauguration of the RJ Sankara Eye Hospital in Varanasi. The hospital was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Jayendra Saraswati, the Sankaracharya of Kanchi, Anandiben Patel and Yogi Adityanath, the Governor and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, respectively.
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PM’s statement
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said “In this divine city of Lord Shankar, the RJ Sankara Eye Hospital is dedicated to the people from today… This hospital will remove the darkness from the lives of countless people in Varanasi and this region, guiding them toward the light… In every sense, it represents a fusion of spirituality and modernity. This hospital will serve the elderly and give new sight to children.”
Modi also added that “this eye hospital has created new employment opportunities for the youth. Medical students will be able to do internships and practice here, and numerous individuals will find work as support staff.” Watch the full video of the Prime Minister’s address about the RJ Sankara Eye Hospital, Varanasi.
The Prime Minister had also inaugurated SEF’s hospital at Anand, Gujarat when he was the state’s Chief Minister. He said, “I have had the privilege of being associated with the noble endeavors of the Sankara Eye Foundation in the past as well. During my tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, I was involved in the inauguration of the Sankara Eye Hospital there.”
Vision 2030: March to a Million Impact
Speaking about SEF, USA’s Vision 2030: March to a Million, an all-India initiative to perform one million free eye surgeries annually by 2030, Murali Krishnamurthy, Founder and Executive Chairman of SEF, USA said, “In 2024, we will perform more than 400,000 free eye surgeries through its network of 27 hospitals in 14 states in India. Today, SEF, USA is the world’s largest free eye care provider! We are happy to bring this hospital to the Oldest City in India and are grateful to the Jhunjhunwala family for their initiative.”
A legacy of Late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala
The Varanasi hospital is a 300-bed facility that will provide 30,000 free eye surgeries annually to the people of Varanasi and nearby districts. It is funded in part by the Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Foundation.
$1.5 million raised at annual Bay Area gala
On September 28, 2024, SEF, USA, hosted the annual ‘Be The Vision 2024 Gala’ at the Santa Clara Marriott, its biggest-ever fundraising gala attended by about 500 donors who together pledged $1.5 Million. Keynote speaker at the gala was Vivek Ranadivé, founder of TIBCO Software; Owner and Chairman of Sacramento Kings. Guest of honor, Srikanth Bolla, Founder and CEO of Bollant Industries, and the real life hero of the Netflix movie Srikanth shared inspirational stories of perseverance and dedication that captured the essence of SEF, USA’s mission to eliminate curable blindness in India.
At the gala, Board Member Sundar Radhakrishnan shared insights from SEF, USA’s 26-year journey, and its rural outreach model. “Over the last 26 years, we have worked on eye care in India, but millions of people in India still live life needlessly blind. We have 20+ hospital projects in the pipeline and we just need funding”, he said.
A model of self-sufficiency
SEF, USA operates on a model of self-sufficiency where paid paying patients subsize free eye surgeries for the underserved. Krishnamurthy said, “Currently, 12 hospitals are 95% self-sufficient. By 2035, all our hospitals are expected to be self-sufficient, performing one million free eye surgeries annually.”
SEF, USA’s state-of-the art hospital projects
Last year SEF, USA inaugurated four hospital projects in Hyderabad, Bihar, Pune and Purulia (West Bengal) increasing its annual free surgery capacity by more than 150,000 and expanding outreach into several rural districts. There are three more state-of-the-art hospital projects in the pipeline for inauguration in 2025. SEF, USA is actively fundraising for these projects right now. These are:
- Kalyanam Karoti Eye Hospital, Mathura – inaugurating in Jan 2025. This hospital is a 600-bed facility with 60,000 free surgery capacity annually.
- H.V.Desai Eye Hospital, Solapur – inaugurating in April 2025, and
- Sankara Eye Hospital, Guntur – inaugurating in mid-2025. This project is a major expansion to double its capacity to 60,000 free eye surgeries annually.
SEF, USA’s nonprofit ratings
SEF, USA has earned the Charity Navigator 4-star rating for 10 years making it one of the top 3% of all charities in the US. It also has a Platinum rating from Candid. Krishnamurthy said with a laugh, “As we like to tell our donors, you may give with your eyes closed and let us open more eyes.”