Founder’s Day was organised at Sankar Foundation Eye Hospital, Naidu Thota, on Sunday on the occasion of the 81st birth anniversary of founder-trustee Atmakuri Sankar Rao.
Yasoda Sankar Rao who unveiled the statue of Sankar Rao lauded the staff for taking the foundation’s services to the downtrodden nationwide.
International Chairman of World Teacher Trust and Chief Mentor and founder of the foundation Kambhampati Parvati Kumar blessed the staff for their yeoman services to the community at large.
Veteran Gandhian and member of the first Parliament K.S.Tilak was felicitated on the occasion. During the program, the first “Sankar Puraskar” Award was presented to a renowned ophthalmologist from Bobbili, K.Vengala Rao.
Addressing the gathering Chairman, Medical Services of Sankar Foundation M. Subrahmanyam said that the award would be presented to eminent personalities or organisations serving in different fields every year.
Best employee
The “Best Employee Silver Medal” for this year went to OT-Supervisor of Sankar Foundation Suresh Babu.
Foundation Executive Trustees A.Prasanna Kumar and A.Vijay Kumar, trustees Challa Sivasankaram and Mangu Ramdas, Managing Trustee K. Mani Mala, Director-Medical Services Ajay Sharma and staff of Sankar Foundation Eye Hospital participated in the program.
The hospital was founded by Sankar Rao in June, 1997 at Simhachalam by selling away his last venture, a star hotel, to the Welcome Group, and by donating 85 per cent of his lifetime earnings.
The hospital was awarded the best NGO award by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Former British Prime Minister John Major performed the ground-breaking ceremony leading to the construction of a 305-bed, one lakh sft hospital with all ophthalmic sub-specialities.
As on July 31, 2012, a total of 1.76 lakh surgeries were performed in the hospital with 81.3 per cent of them free of cost to poor patients below poverty line.
The hospital has recently branched out into teaching, training and research and started a fellowship programme to train ophthalmologists from all over the country and abroad.
It has been recognised by the Government of India for conducting surgical training to government ophthalmologists.
