New Projects

Ludhiana to Have Specialised Eye Care Hospital

Will perform over 10,000 free eye surgeries every year

Vipul Ltd, one of the leading realty companies in the country, has inked an agreement with Sankara Eye Care Institution, the largest chain of community eye-care institute in the country, to develop the first specialised eye-care hospital of Punjab. Vipul Ltd has donated two acres of land within its flagship project in Punjab, Vipul World located at Ferozepur road, Ludhiana for the eye-hospital. The hospital, which will cater to 200 out patients everyday, will provide 80 per cent treatment free to the poor and needy and 20 cent treatment would be on paid basis.

Sankara Eye Care Institutions will construct the hospital premises with an investment of Rs18 crore and will also manage its operations. The hospital will comprise single block comprising 50,000 square feet built up area incorporating ground plus two floors which will cater to almost all treatments under the eye-care segment.

Speaking on the occasion, Punit Beriwala, Managing Director, Vipul Ltd, said, "It is a great moment for us to join hands with Sankara Eye Care Institutions to propel the quality health services in the region. Sankara group is a well-known name in eye care segment and we are sure that this eye-hospital will create a niche for itself in years to come, providing access to quality eye care and in-patient services for the residents of Ludhiana and the State of Punjab at large."

The construction of the project is scheduled to start by the end of 2010 and become functional by mid-2011. This hospital project is supported by Sankara Eye Foundation, USA and Sankara Eye Foundation, Europe. It will perform more than 10,000 free eye surgeries every year as a part of Sankara's 'Vision 2020 by 2020' programme which aims to provide the gift of vision to 1 million economically backward citizens annually through centers across India. Sankara will replicate its self sustaining model, of providing 80 per cent free treatment to the economically less privileged and 20 per cent paid patient treatment at the new Ludhiana Hospital.

Commenting at the announcement, Dr RV Ramani, Founder & Managing Trustee, and Sankara Eye Care Institutions, said, "I thank Vipul World for the support by providing us the land to set up this hospital. We are happy that our hospital is in a strategic location such as Vipul World, easily accessible to people from inside the city and surrounding districts. The Ludhiana hospital will be supported by skilled and experienced eye surgeons and paramedics to enable us deliver quality services without any delay. We believe in tapping local human resources. We will employ locally and train recruits in medical and paramedical care."

Ludhiana has emerged as an industrial hub for industrial and hosiery units. It is expected that this state-of-the-art hospital, equipped with advanced technology will serve the growing neighboring areas in and around the city of Ludhiana, accounting for close to 74 per cent of Punjab's total population. An estimated 2.7 lakh people in the state need to undergo cataract surgeries annually of which over 1.5 lakh do not avail of surgery and treatment due to lack of access to quality and affordable eye care. These underprivileged continue to remain needlessly blind or visually handicapped. “Sankara will address this issue through their rural outreach programme, by providing high-quality, cost effective and readily available eye care at the door steps of rural India,” said Dr Ramani.

EH News Bureau