Dr. G Natchiar received the Padma Shri for medical work. Her hospital wants to extend its economical, quality, patient volume, and compassionate eye care approach, with 48% of patients receiving free treatment.
Dr. G Natchiar is a founding member of Aravind Eye Hospital and Padma Shri award winner for excellent medical service. She says her hospital wants to spread the Aravind model of eye care. Their strengths were affordability, quality, patient volume, and compassion.
Natchiar said they didn’t expect the hospital, begun by her brother Dr. G Venkataswamy with 12 beds, to become so large, but they worked hard to provide eye treatment to the villages. He designed Aravind’s MLOP (Mid-level Ophthalmic Personnel) project, which recruited Class XII females from villages and trained them for two years with boarding and pay. “We needed nurses in 1976, but attrition was high. No center trained ophthalmology assistants then. I trained 10 of our relatives’ girls. She remembers a program to train girls who finished Class XII with ordinary grades. “She said Aravind eye hospitals across the state and country recruit girls from nearby schools with the help of headmasters and they have remained our strength.
Natchiar said the organization’s grant means 48% of patients receive free therapy. They gain money on patient volume but don’t accept donations. “At Aravind, we make money even after providing cheaper eye care,” she said. They also taught 10,000 ophthalmologists from developing nations to provide better eye care, she said.
Conclusion
Dr. G Natchiar, a founder of Aravind Eye Hospital, received the Padma Shri for medical excellence. The hospital plans to extend its eye care approach to emphasize affordability, quality, patient volume, and compassion. The MLOP project, designed by Natchiar, recruited Class XII girls from communities and educated them for two years with boarding and stipend. With the award, 48% of patients get free care.
