Partnerships Result in Successful Cataract Outreaches in India

The Himalayan Cataract Project and Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology are long­standing, trusted partners whose close collaboration with other organizations is essential in carrying out effective and successful projects. HCP and Tilganga share a binding, core philosophy that they bring to collaboration with each of the partners they engage: the belief that the elimination of needless blindness is fundamentally a human right. Partners with this shared goal help HCP strengthen its mission to eliminate preventable and curable blindness.

In our most recent cataract outreaches in India, the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology and Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya Hospital jointly organized two cataract campaigns with support from HCP and the Sankara Eye Foundation (SEF) USA, from September 14-16 in Vrindavan and September 18-20 in Mangarh (Uttar Pradesh), India providing a total of 925 cataract surgeries, including four for children. The success of these outreaches can be attributed to the high quality care provided by Tilganga and Jagadguru Kripalu and financial support of SEF, USA.

Sankara Eye Foundation, USA was founded in 1998 by Mr. K. Muralidharan, Mr. K. Sridharan, and Mr. Khushnood Ahmad, whose vision was to eradicate curable blindness in India. Anil Lal has played an instrumental role for SEF, USA in developing the partnership with HCP. According to the SEF, USA website, their goal is to support, SEF, India and raise funds for surgeries as well as capital funds to build specialty eye-care hospitals across India. Their mission is to reach India’s rural and poor populations to provide quality eye care free of cost. SEF India is currently building its 9th operationally self-sufficient specialty eye care hospital with plans for further expansion in the near future.