Here is Sankara Eye Hospital in Bangalore. This clinic is specialized in eye care. On 24 May 2013, it was the 1'000'000th free eye surgeries celebration.
This hospital was founded in 2008 and is part of Sankara Eye Care Institution which has 11 hospitals all over India. It was imagined by Dr. R.V.Ramani and his wife Dr. RadhaRamani in 1977. At first, it was common health care centre. Then it grew and specialized in eye care. Dr. R. V. Ramani also created the first eye bank in South India.
There is a community outreach programme. A hospital team patrols around Bengaluru rural areas to find people with eye diseases. On the spot, they do a screening of the population and those who need eye care are brought to Sankara Eye Hospital. There, they are given food, accommodated and cared. Patients needing surgery are tested for their eye and body fitness. If both are fine, surgery can be carried out. After that, they stay for 1 or 2 days in the hospital, then they go back to their village. One month later, a hospital team goes there to do a check-up on them.
There are 3 outreach programmes being aimed at children: Swagatham, Maithri and Rainbow. Swagatham is neonatal screening programme for children who were born in hospital. Maithri concerns children from 3 to 6 years old who don't go to school yet. And for those who go to school, there is the Rainbow programme. This one is in 3 steps. First, volunteer teachers are trained to identify children with eye defects. Then they call Sankara Eye Foundation which will send them a team. Professionals inspect these kids and if eye care is needed they are sent to the hospital. Finally, their disease is treated in the hospital.
It is divided in a paying and a non paying section. Patients pay according to their means so the poorest don't pay and get free care. The money from the paying patients, who represent 20% of all patients, is used to pay charge of all patient.
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