Aravind-Coimbatore, 15^th October

Aravind-Coimbatore organised a CME on Cornea, discussing on topics such as, Approach to a case of suspected microbial keratitis, Management of PUK case-based approach, and Allergic conjunctivitis: All about ocular allergies. Dr. Venkatesh Prajna, Dr. Radhika Natrajan, Sankara Netralaya, Chennai and Dr. J.K. Reddy, Sankara Eye Hospital, Coimbatore delivered keynote addresses at three of the sessions, respectively. The CME included an online Kahoot quiz on cornea conducted by Dr. D. Chandrasekhar, Medical Consultant, Aravind-Coimbatore. Dr. P. Mangala, Medical Consultant, Cornea and Refractive Surgery Services, Aravind-Coimbatore, served as the organising secretary of the CME. A total of 12 faculty members handled and moderated each session, with 131 delegates participating, including 85 external delegates and 46 from Aravind.

Aravind-Madurai, 12-14 October

As part of the October Summit 2023, Aravind-Madurai organised Arangam, an intramural conference designed for MLOPs and admin staff across all Aravind centres. The event aimed to foster learning, continuous improvement, and innovation among them. This conference effectively addressed the absence of a platform for non-doctors to share and generate innovative ideas. A total of 230 participants from various Aravind centres took part in four parallel tracks: Care, Focus, Heal, and Train. These tracks featured instructional courses and competitions, including oral, poster, and video presentations, as well as quiz contests. There were over 220 innovative presentations, with 55 participants winning prizes.

Moreover, the programme included common events such as instructional courses and learning stalls, where informative posters and innovations were displayed. Cultural events, fun games, and a visit to the Keeladi Museum made the programme more engaging.

Vaiyampatti, 12^th October

Aravind-Madurai opened a new vision centre in Vaiyampatti, Trichy, becoming the 108^th centre of AECS. Dr. Kim, IT Director, AECS & CMO, Aravind-Madurai inaugurated the centre. Notable attendees, including Dr. Sanjana, Medical Officer, Aravind-Madurai; Subramaniyan, Panchayat President, Vaiyampatti; V.P. Senthil Kumar, President, Rotary Club; Jesintha, BDO, Isaac, Camp Sponsor, Ramesh, Camp Organiser; and several esteemed members from the local community, took part in the occasion.

Jhansi Sunitha, VC Manager, and Mohammed Gowth, Faculty, LAICO, from the Vision Centre team organised the event. The vision centre field staff, Raman, Nagalingam, and Rajapandian coordinated the proceedings. Mahalakshmi, VC Coordinator, Gandhigram Vision Centre, provided mentorship and support to the new VC staff during the initial week.

On the day of the inauguration, the centre examined 96 patients, with 27 patients recommended for cataract surgery, 12 patients advised to use eyeglasses, and 4 patients placing orders for glasses.

Aravind-Tirunelveli, 10^th October

Aravind-Tirunelveli organised the graduation day for the second-year MLOPs who have successfully completed their two years of training. There were programmes including the sharing of experience by the second-year MLOPs, a lighting ceremony, and a pledge taking event. Dr. R. Ramakrishnan, and Dr. Padmavathy, Regional HR Director, Aravind-Tirunelveli, congratulated the graduating MLOPs and reiterated the vision and mission of the founder, Dr. V.

Aravind-Chennai, 24th September

Aravind-Chennai organised the graduation day for the second-year MLOPs in a grand manner. Dr. Haripriya, Regional HR Director, Aravind-Chennai & Tirupati, delivered a speech on Aravind’s Global Impact. K. Revathy, Manager, Administration, Aravind-Chennai elaborated on the benefits of being an MLOP. Additionally, the event featured a dance performance by senior MLOPs and presentations by MLOP trainees from each department showcasing their job roles. A significant moment during the ceremony was the candle lighting event by MLOPs. A total of 98 MLOP trainees successfully completed their two-year training programme and were promoted to MLOP employees. The occasion was graced by the presence of the parents of the MLOP trainees.

Madurai, 2^nd October

Auroitech has introduced Dhrishti, a mobile app that guides the patient during their visit to the hospital. The features of the mobile app in the initial phase include:
Treatment and care plan, medical prescription, advice on surgery and procedures, information on follow-up visits, adding family member details, and eye health awareness.

Vellore, 16^th October

Aravind Centre for Eye Care Innovation (ACEi) has successfully renewed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, for an additional five years. With the renewal of this MoU, ACEi aims to elevate the institutions’ innovations and development processes to new heights.

Aravind-Madurai, 30^th September

Aravind Eye Care System conferred the Dr. G. Venkataswamy Memorial Award 2023 upon Prof. Astrid E. Fletcher, Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Epidemiology & Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, in recognition of her enduring contributions to eye care and the remarkable impact she has made in the field through her research findings. The grand ceremony was held at the Dr. G. Venkataswamy Eye Research Institute, Aravind-Madurai. Dr. R.D. Ravindran, Chairman, AECS, delivered the welcome address, and Thulasiraj Ravilla, Executive Director, LAICO, introduced the awardee. Sanil Joseph, Senior Faculty, LAICO, read the citation. Dr. P. Namperumalsamy, Chairman Emeritus, AECS, and Dr. G. Natchiar, Director Emeritus, AECS, presented the citation and award to Prof. Astrid. Following that, Prof. Astrid delivered the Dr. G. Venkataswamy Memorial Oration on the topic, “Working with communities: Beliefs and behavior.” The programme concluded with a cultural performance, “Shiva Thandavam” by Kenisha Khatri, followed by a vote of thanks by Dr. Usha Kim, Chief, Orbit and Oculoplasty, Aravind-Madurai.

Prof. Astrid plays a significant role in global healthcare, serving as an expert advisor to the World Health Organization’s Study Group on Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Elderly, providing consultations on blindness prevention, and acting as a technical advisor to the National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA.

Astrid’s connection with Aravind began in 1992, when she was invited by the NEI to develop a quality-of-life assessment for the Madurai Intraocular Lens trial. Recognising her keen interest in epidemiological research, Dr. V. asked her to investigate the effectiveness of outreach eye camps in addressing the eye care needs of the community. In response, Astrid collaborated with a local NGO to study the barriers to eye care utilisation in southern India. Employing a mix of survey methodology and ethnographic and qualitative methods, this study revealed that less than 7% of those in need of eye care were utilising the eye camps. This revelation prompted Aravind to explore innovative approaches to increase the uptake of eye care services in rural communities, leading to the establishment of vision centres.

Aravind-Madurai, 30^th September

As part of the October summit, LAICO organised a workshop on Vision Centres 2.0, aiming to take primary eye care to the next level. The key areas of discussion revolved around improving the quality of care at vision centres, including reviewing and standardising the equipment, ensuring all equipment was in working condition, ensuring that all the vision centre staff adhere to various aspects of the clinical protocol to provide comprehensive eye care, and enabling IT support to generate reports for supporting operations and decision-making.

Additionally, a book on vision centre guidelines in Tamil was launched by Dr. P. Namperumalsamy and Dr. G. Natchiar during this event. Thulasiraj Ravilla, Ganesh Babu, Senior Manager Central Operations, Dr. Kim, Dr. R. Venkatesh, CMO, Aravind-Pondicherry, and Dr. Usha Kim, Clinical Head, Vision Centres, AECS, facilitated the discussions.

A total of 53 members from all Aravind hospitals and vision centres, including the senior leadership team and the chief medical officers, medical consultants, VC managers, HR managers, nursing superintendents, VC coordinators, and VC technicians, attended this workshop.

Aravind-Kovilpatti, 23^rd September

Aravind-Kovilpatti celebrated its 4^th annual day in a simple manner. Dr. Harini Krishna, Medical Consultant, Aravind-Kovilpatti provided a concise overview of the annual report. Dr. R.D. Ravindran, Dr. R. Ramakrishnan, and Dr. R. Meenakshi, CMO, Aravind-Tirunelveli, delivered inspiring speeches. Moreover, there were cultural performances by the doctors, sisters, and other supportive staff.