Cognizant Foundation has donated a laparoscopy unit costing Rs.10 lakh to Swami Dayananda Jayavarthanavelu Tribal Rural Hospital at Anaikatti near the city.
The gesture was part of the foundation's corporate-social responsibility. The hospital was an initiative under the AIM for Seva Movement of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Anaikatti headed by Sri Dayananda Saraswati.
Handing over the equipment to the hospital on Tuesday, Chief Executive Officer of the foundation S. Madhavan said the donation was an effort to serve the socially and economically weak sections. The foundation had joined various non-Governmental organisations on such community service projects.
Vice-President and Head of Coimbatore Centre Operation of the Cognizant Group Vishnu Potty said the donation of the equipment was in line with his company's resolve to give something back to society.
Service
Commissioning the equipment, Sri Dayananda Saraswati said AIM (All-India Movement) for Seva had been involved in serving the rural poor and tribals. Its volunteers had been providing selfless service in meeting the goals of the movement.
Thanking the foundation for the equipment, he said the scriptures had exalted the capacity to earn and also to give or donate.
The AIM for Seva movement planned to open 600 homes for students across the country.
Dean of G. Kuppuswamy Naidu Memorial Hospital Ramkumar Raghupathy said his hospital had been associated with the tribal hospital at Anaikatti since 2004.
Tracing the growth of the tribal hospital, he said it began as a small outpatient medical centre with one doctor and four assistants. It now had an operation theatre, dental and ophthalmology departments and a maternity ward. The hospital covered 40 tribal villages each from Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Chief Medical Officer of the tribal hospital S. Rajagopal said AIM for Seva was launched in 2000 to provide healthcare education to underprivileged children. The movement was now active in 15 States.
The movement had five hospitals, six clinics, six mobile medical units and 79 homes for students where food, clothing and shelter were provided free of cost.