Dr. Surekha P and Prashant SB, are a couple who have embarked on a very unique mission. The efforts of Dr. Surekha and Prashant have so far provided nearly 11 lakh free eye treatments. After living in America for a long time, when he felt that now he had to return to his country and serve the countrymen, then there was no better opportunity for him.
Dr. Surekha and Prashanth are the founders of Nayonika Eye Care Charitable Hospital. And along with Karnataka Health Care Department, are making best efforts for the needy people. Healthy Vision India, BMTC are working on projects like Netranjali, Amrit Darshan, Nayonika Vision Wall and Nayonika Makkal Netra. They are also fighting the coronavirus fight through their foundation and have completely converted their charitable hospital into a COVID-19 center.
How it started
Dr. Surekha P and her husband Prashant SB moved to America in the year 1999, where Prashant was working as a sales director at Tata Infotech while Dr. Surekha P was completing her doctoral degree. He remained there till 2006.
Talking about returning home and starting Nayonika Eye Care Charitable Hospital, Prashant says,
“We both read some reports in which it was told that there are only 1 doctor per 20-25 thousand eye patients in urban areas in India and if we talk about rural areas then this number is even more surprising, There is only one eye doctor among 2 lakh 25 thousand patients in the areas. This made us very restless and we decided to return to our homeland.”
After this, the couple returned home and started their mission with the help of the government and some NGOs, who came to Bangalore to take care of the eyesight of the needy people and the spirit of service.
Free eye treatment of 11 lakh people
So far, Dr. Surekha and Prashant have done free eye treatment of 11 lakh people and are constantly working in their mission.
Prashant says
“Any single person can do anything even to a limit, but if we all do a little together, then the sight of the disease in our country will be eradicated. We all need to work together in this direction. We have got the full support of the government and many NGOs in this work, which has enabled treatment of 11 lakh people. ”
At Nayonika Eye Care Charitable Hospital, Dr. Surekha performs eye screening, treatment, surgery of patients as well as periodically training her staff members, while her husband Prashant looks after communication and management. They work with the government and NGOs on new projects so that more people can be treated.
This mission of both of them started in the year 2012 and during their journey in 8 years, they have done 11 lakh free eye treatments.
How does Nayonika work?
Prashant SB, founder of Nayonika, explains, “We use the government’s infrastructure where around 250-300 patients come for eye screening and treatment every day.” Here we provide doctors for their checkups and surgeries etc. Many doctors offer free voluntary services here, while many doctors are given full salary.
Many NGOs and the state government also fully support their campaign. SLR Foundation has donated 35 thousand spectacles for the needy people.
Nayonika Rotary Service
Nayonika Eye Care Charitable Hospital has started the Nayonika Rotary Anuswa project in association with the Rotary Club. Under this, he has given food, masks, sanitizers, PPE kits, face shields etc. to about 25 thousand policemen and health workers in the ongoing Corona period. Dr. Surekha and Prashant along with Rotary Club have also opened a 300-bed COVID-19 Care Center, where all facilities are provided free of cost to the infected. In this campaign, the process hospital has also deployed a team of COVID expert doctors supporting them.
Healthy Vision India
In the year 2016-17, Dr. Surekha and her husband Prashant started this program. Eyes patients are treated under this program like Nayonika. The couple and their team performed surgeries for 300 patients within 10 days of the launch of the program. The state government was very impressed by this figure and started helping them fully.
So far, more than 18 thousand people have undergone surgery for cataract and vision impairment under this special program.
BMTC Netranjali Project
Prashant says that BMTC is the man pillar (pillar) of the city (Bengaluru). Around 3.5 million people travel through the city buses every day. These buses have drivers and conductors as staff. The life of all the passengers of the bus depends on the driver. If he is unable to see, his eyes will be weak, then imagine how many accidents will happen.
With this thinking, we started visiting all the 45 bus depots in the city. Where we install camps, the eyes of all staff members are examined free of cost, for those who have to undergo surgery. They are given free glasses.
Under this project, about 35 thousand people have been given free spectacles so far, free checkup of about 13 thousand people has been done and free surgery has been done for 64 patients.
Dr. Surekha and Prashant say that when the eyes of the driver are right then the chances of accident on the road will be reduced.
Their next mission is to start this campaign in cities like Delhi, Mumbai.
Mission Amrit Darshan
Describing this special mission, Prashant said that according to official figures in Bengaluru there are about 502 slums (slums) areas. Where there is a population of 800 to 1 thousand people per slum area. Most of the people living here are unable to get treatment for diseases of the eyes, because they do not have money even for 2 days’ bread. In such a situation, we have made PHC a vision center in collaboration with the government. Where the infrastructure of the government is and we bring doctors. We also bring all the necessary medical equipment. Patients are treated free.
Nayonika – Vision on Wall
This is a very special and totally different type of campaign. Describing its introduction, Prashant says,
“Once while traveling on a flight, I saw from the window that a teacher was teaching children on a wall in an open area. Then I thought about it and decided to do it.”
Prashant says that under this campaign we give such training to children that they can examine their eyes themselves.
Prashant claims that in the next 5 years, about 65 lakh children will get support of this Nayonika – Vision on Wall.
Nayonika Makkalnetra
Prashant says that ‘Makkal’ is a Kannada language word that means baby’s eye.
According to Prashant, out of about 65 lakh children studying in government schools in Karnataka alone, 3 lakh 25 thousand children need glasses. Prashant wants to start Vision on Wall in 45 thousand schools under this mission, so that Karnataka can be made an issue free in the next 5 years.
future plans
Prashant SB and Dr Surekha P, founders of Nayonika Eye Care Charitable Hospital, want to make the country visually free through their unique mission. For this, they want more and more doctors to be a part of this campaign.
They say
“Just as we all work together in the same way as the pot fills with a drop, we will soon make the country free from sight.”
They say this is the way in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal that we are planning to start a campaign.