Partner Eye Hospitals
Partner Eye Hospitals
Sankara Eye Foundation is dedicated to the cause of eradicating curable blindness among India’s rural poor. Our Vision 2030 goal is to perform one million free eye surgeries annually by 2030. To achieve this, we work with like-minded partner organizations in order to reach areas where we do not have a presence. 

We Ally With Like-Minded Partners:

Partners are expected to be purely service-oriented, with the same goals and mission as ours.

Partners need to meet the strict quality, accountability, service, and transparency requirements that we  set for ourselves. This involves passing audits that we conduct to monitor quality of service, facilities, staff, and finances.

The coverage areas of partners should not overlap with ours when it comes to providing service.

Partners should be willing and able to grow their services and coverage with our support.

AKHAND JYOTI EYE HOSPITAL, BIHAR

Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital (AJEH) was established in Bihar in 2005. It is the largest eye hospital in eastern India, and among the top five hospitals in India providing free eye care services. AJEH is headquartered in Mastichak, a rural area about 50 kms from Patna. AJEH prioritizes cases of bilateral blindness (blindness in both eyes) due to a high prevalence of this condition in the region. Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital also has outreach centers in Patna and the districts of Balia, Samastipur and Purnea.

AKHAND JYOTI CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
Mega Hospital - Estimated Completion 2022

Sankara Eye Foundation is partnering with Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital to construct the Akhand Jyoti Center of Excellence (AJCoE), a 300-bed hospital in the vicinity of the existing AJEH hospital in Mastichak, Bihar.  AJEH CoE is expected to double the free eye surgery capacity in Mastichak and establish itself as a leading hospital in Bihar. It is expected to provide high-quality, free eye care services to the local area, along with the neighboring districts of Patna, Balia, Purnea, and Samastipur.

The project is expected to be completed in 2022 and to ramp up to its full capacity of 80,000 free surgeries by 2023-2024. The project is expected to become operationally self-sustaining by 2027-2028 based on the 80:20 ratio of free to paid surgeries.

64,801 FREE SURGERIES
3,516 EYE CAMPS

Key Facts:
Location: Mastichak, Bihar
Annual surgery capacity:
85,400
Vision 2030 free surgery capacity: 
226,800
Free surgeries conducted in 2021-2022:
65,045 
Free surgeries for Sankara Eye Foundation in 2021-2022:
45,000

Partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation USA
Sankara Eye Foundation has been partners with AJEH since 2017 and since then the hospital’s capacity for free surgeries has increased steadily.

Contact Information
For further information, visit: www.akhandjyoti.org

SRI SAI LIONS NETRALAYA, PATNA, BIHAR

Sri Sai Lions Netralaya (SSLN) in Patna, Bihar, was established in 2004 as a 10-bed facility, and has grown since then to its current capacity of 150 beds. Bihar lacked charitable institutions providing free cataract surgeries and quality eye care services to the poverty-stricken population. Sri Sai Lions aimed to fulfill this gap, and is now positioned for greater growth in partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation.

Sri Sai Lions currently has a free eye surgery capacity of 20,000 eye surgeries annually. It performed 1,701 surgeries in the year 2021-22, of which 1,697 were for Sankara Eye Foundation.

1,701 FREE SURGERIES
371 EYE CAMPS

Key Facts:
Location: Patna, Bihar
Annual free eye surgery capacity:
20,000
Vision 2030 free surgery capacity:
40,000
Free eye camps conducted: 371
Free surgeries conducted in 2021-2022:
1,701 
Free surgeries for Sankara Eye Foundation in 2021-2022:
1,697

Partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation USA
Sankara Eye Foundation USA has partnered with Sri Sai Lions Netralaya since 2017, and has funded more than 31,000 free cataract surgeries since the beginning of its partnership. With the backing of Sankara Eye Foundation, Sri Sai Lions hopes to increase its annual free surgery capacity in the long-term to 50,000.

For more information, visit: www.srisailionsnetralaya.org

RKM VIVEKANADA NETRALAYA, UTTARAKHAND

Vivekananda Netralaya in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, is a branch of the Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) headquartered in Belur Math. It was established as a new service hospital in mid-2018 with a mission to provide eye care services in the Dehradun area as well as the more sparsely populated hilly districts of Garhwal region. This includes Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Haridwar, Dehradun, Rudraprayag, and Uttarkashi, along with the surrounding border areas of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.

In keeping with the overall vision of the Ramakrishna Mission, Vivekananda Netralaya aims to provide free cataract surgeries and other eye care services to the needy populations within its service area. The facility is spread over 26,000 square feet with newly constructed buildings and modern equipment designed to provide a wide spectrum of eye care services. It is housed on Ramakrishna Mission’s 11-acre campus in Dehradun, along with its Ashrama and a non-formal school for underprivileged children.

5,493 FREE SURGERIES
156 EYE CAMPS

Key Facts:
Location: Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Annual free surgery capacity:
88,280
Total free surgeries in 2021-2022:
71,552
Free surgeries for Sankara Eye Hospitals in 2021-2022:
5,493

Partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation USA
Sankara Eye Foundation has partnered with Vivekananda Netralaya since its inception in 2018, and has provided operational funding for almost 6,500 free cataract surgeries. Sankara Eye Foundation and Vivekananda Netralaya will continue to work together to increase the free surgery capacity of the hospital and attain self-sufficiency in its operations.

Contact Information
For more information, visit: www.vivekanandanetralaya.org

TRILOCHAN NETRALAYA, ODISHA

The Trilochan Netralaya in Sambalpur, Odisha, is operated by Vision India Foundation (VIF), a Trust set up in the year 2008 by Dr. Shiva Prasad Sahoo. Its goal is to eliminate cases of preventable blindness, especially among the underprivileged people of rural Odisha, with an emphasis on serving tribal and hard to reach areas.

Since its inception, VIF has set up three eye care units in Odisha, one each in the districts of Sambalpur, Jagatsinghpur, and Kalahandi, serving a total of 18 districts with a population of about 23 million. The two units in Sambalpur and Kalahandi predominantly cater to the ophthalmologic needs of around 1.5 crore people in western Odisha, where access to health care services is rarely available to the poor.

VIF currently operates on an 85:15 ratio of free to paid surgeries.

71,552 SURGERIES
561 EYE CAMPS

Key Facts:
Locations: Sambalpur, Jagatsinghpur, Kalahandi, Odisha
Annual free surgery capacity (all hospitals):
88,280
Planned Vision 2030 capacity:
257,760
Free eye camps conducted:
561
Total free surgeries in 2021-2022:
71,552
Free surgeries for Sankara Eye Hospitals in 2021-2022:
11,205

Partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation USA
Sankara Eye Foundation has partnered with Trilochan Netralaya since 2018. Since then, Trilochan has performed 11,205 free eye surgeries on behalf of Sankara. Trilochan’s 5-year growth plans include setting up a new state-of-the-art tertiary eye care center in Sambalpur and a well-equipped secondary eye care center in Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi.

Contact Information
For more information, visit: trilochannetralaya.org

HV DESAI EYE HOSPITAL, PUNE, MAHARASHTRA

The HV Desai Eye Hospital was established in Pune, Maharashtra, by The Poona Blind Men’s Association in the year 2000. It is a 95 bed non profit comprehensive Eye Care Institute, providing services at the base hospital as well as through outreach programs. Besides Pune, the hospital also serves the neighboring districts of Jalna, Aurangabad, Osmanabad, Beed, Nasik, Raigad, Satara, Solapur and Ahmednagar.

Super-specialty services in cornea, vitreo retina, medical retina, glaucoma, oculoplasty, low vision, contact lens and pediatric ophthalmology treatment are also provided. The hospital also provides post graduate and paramedical training for technicians.

15,844 SURGERIES
3,516 EYE CAMPS

Key Facts:
Location: Pune, Maharashtra
Annual free surgery capacity: 32,250
Planned Vision 2030 free surgery capacity: 75,500
Free surgeries conducted: 15,844
Free surgeries delivered to Sankara Eye Foundation: 500 (3%)

Partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation USA
Sankara Eye Foundation partnered with HV Desai eye Hospital in the year 2021. The hospital has a total annual free surgery capacity of 7,000 of which it performed 5,385 (77%) on behalf of Sankara Eye Foundation in 2021-22. HV Desai Eye Hospital is a NABH Accredited specialized eye care facility.

Contact Information
For more information, visit: hvdeh.org/

NANRITAM, PURULIA, WEST BENGAL

Nanritam’s Lokeshwarananda Eye Foundation hospital is located at Para, a village in the Purulia District of West Bengal. It was established in 2008 and grew from a six bed eye hospital to a 100 bed super-specialty eye hospital in 2012. Currently, Nanritam caters to about 200,000 patients annually and provides 90% of them with free surgeries. Besides Purulia, the hospital serves the districts of Bankura, Howrah, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Dhanbad, Deoghar, Bokaro, and West Midnapur, among others.

1,932 FREE SURGERIES
156 EYE CAMPS

Key Facts:
Location: Purulia, West Bengal
Vision 2030 free surgery capacity:
14,000
Annual Free surgery capacity:
14,000
Free surgeries conducted:
1,932 (14%)
Free surgeries conducted for Sankara Eye Foundation:
1,546 (80%)

Partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation USA
Sankara Eye Foundation partnered with Nanritam in 2021. Nanritam has an annual free eye surgery capacity of 14,000. In 2021-22 Nanritam conducted a total of 1,932 free eye surgeries, of which 1,546 (80%) surgeries were on behalf of Sankara Eye Foundation.

For more information, visit: www.nanritam.org/

SILIGURI GREATER LIONS EYE HOSPITAL, WEST BENGAL

Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital was established in the city of Siliguri in 1981. SGLEH is a tertiary eye hospital serving the regions of North Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Assam, and Jharkhand.  The hospital renders sub-specialty services in vitreo-retina, low vision, pediatric eye care, squint correction, glaucoma, contact lenses and corneal treatment. 

4,393 FREE SURGERIES
387 EYE CAMPS

Key Facts
Location: Siliguri, West Bengal
Annual Free surgery capacity: 14,000
Vision 2030 free surgery capacity: 75,000
Free surgeries conducted: 4393

Partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation USA

Sankara Eye Foundation Partnered with Siliguri Greater Lions Eye Hospital in 2022. The hospital currently has a free eye surgery capacity of 14,000. Its planned Vision 2030 free eye surgery capacity is 75,500.

Contact Information
For more information, visit: www.greaterlions.org/

KALYANAM KAROTI, UTTAR PRADESH

Kalyanam Karoti, Mathura (KKM) is a charitable organization focused on improving the quality of life for the disabled and marginalized population in Uttar Pradesh by providing affordable and accessible treatment, including surgeries and rehabilitation.

KKM started its charitable eye hospital in 1996. It is focused on providing free cataract eye surgeries to needy patients by following a model of paid surgeries subsidizing free surgeries, similar to Sankara Eye Foundation’s model.

10,880 FREE SURGERIES
340 EYE CAMPS

Partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation USA
Sankara Eye Foundation partnered with KKM Mathura in 2019 with an initial funding tranche for 1,000 cataract surgeries, followed by subsequent funding for another 5,000 free surgeries. Currently, KKM has a free eye surgery capacity of 11,000, of which it performed 3,517 for Sankara Eye Foundation in 2021-22.

Historically, due to a lack of funding, the hospital had been unable to accommodate all of the patients in need of free surgery services. Our partnership eased those difficulties and they can now scale and grow their operations.  

Key Facts
Location: Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
Annual free surgery capacity: 11,000
Vision 2030 free surgery capacity: 30,000
Free eye camps conducted: 340
Free surgeries conducted: 10,880 
Free surgeries to Sankara Eye Foundation: 3,517

For more information, visit: kkm.org.in

NETAJI EYE HOSPITAL, WEST BENGAL

Netaji Eye Hospital traces its roots back to 1938 when Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose implored his comrade and fellow freedom fighter Annada Prasad Chakraborty, later known as Swami Asimananda Saraswati, to address the problem of blindness among the destitute population of Purulia district in West Bengal. Starting with a 10-bed eye hospital in 1954, Netaji Eye Hospital has grown to its current 100-bed facility located in Ramchandrapur village, District Purulia, West Bengal. 

Netaji Eye Hospital provides quality eye care and surgeries to patients in Purulia and its neighboring areas of West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Bihar under the aegis of Sri Sri Bijoykrishna Ashram Relief Society. 

6,967 FREE SURGERIES
165 EYE CAMPS

Partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation USA
Netaji Eye Hospital began its partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation in 2019  with an initial pilot funding of INR 40 Lakhs. Currently it has an annual free eye surgery capacity of 7,000 of which 5,385 were performed for Sankara Eye Foundation in 2021-22. 

Key Facts
Location: Ramchandrapur, Purulia
Annual Free surgery capacity: 7,000
Vision 2030 free surgery capacity: 21,000
Free eye camps conducted: 165
Free surgeries conducted in 2021-2022: 6,967
Free surgeries conducted for Sankara Eye Foundation in 2021-2022: 5,385

For more information, visit: www.netajieyehospital.in

MGM EYE INSTITUTE, CHHATTISGARH

MGM Eye Institute (MGMEI) was established in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, in 2004. It is a self-sustained, nonprofit organization that provides free eye care services to the economically underprivileged. It's mission is to provide high quality and comprehensive eye care services in an equitable manner. 

Apart from clinical services, MGMEI’s mission is also to provide eye care training and education. The institute offers the DNB course from the National Board of Examinations in New Delhi, and the Optometry course from Sri Rawatpura Sarkar University in Raipur.

MGMEI is recognized by the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) for training international candidates, and by the government of India for training government ophthalmologists.

4,217 FREE SURGERIES
387 EYE CAMPS

Partnership with Sankara Eye Foundation USA
Since early 2018, Sankara Eye Foundation USA has partnered with MGMEI to provide capital funding for the construction of two state-of-the-art modular operating theaters at a cost of INR 2.95 crores. These are reserved exclusively for free cataract surgeries for those in need. In turn, MGMEI will perform 20,000 free surgeries for over a period of five years. 

MGMEI is an operationally self-sustaining institute with a strong medical team and modern equipment and infrastructure, allowing it to provide high quality eye care to all its patients.

By 2025, MGMEI expects to double its current annual volume of free cataract surgeries.

Key Facts
Location: Raipur, Chhattisgarh
Annual Free surgery capacity: 15,000
Vision 2030 free surgery capacity: 15,000
Free eye camps conducted: 387
Free surgeries conducted in 2021-2022: 4,217 
Free surgeries for Sankara Eye Foundation in 2021-2022: 3,798

For more information, visit: www.mgmeye.org

Sankara Eye Foundation USA

One million free eye surgeries annually by 2030.
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