It’s day 6 on the Tata Jagriti Yatra. Our train arrives in Puducherry (Pondicherry). We are visiting one of the most advanced eye care hospitals in India, the Arvind Eye Care Hospital. As our bus approaches the hospital grounds, it’s not difficult to notice how ultra modern the facility looks like from outside. The hospital is modern, large and well maintained and looks like being a million miles ahead of any normal government hospital. Indeed, Arvind Eyecare Hospital would even give the best private hospitals in India a run for their money on aesthetics alone.

Aravind Eye Care Hospital is an ophthalmological hospital with several locations in India. It was founded by Dr.Govindappa Venkataswamy. The hospital is named after Sri Aurobindo, one of the 20th century’s most revered spiritual leaders.

Aravind is more than an eye hospital. It is a social organisation committed to the goal of elimination of needless blindness through comprehensive eye care services. It is also an international training centre for ophthalmic professionals and trainees who come from within India and around the world. It is an institute for research that contributes to the development of eye care and to train health-related and managerial personnel in the development and implementation of efficient and sustainable eye care programmes. Aravind also is a manufacturer of world class ophthalmic products available at affordable costs.

We were joined in the hospital auditorium by joint director Dr. Ravindran and by video conference from their Madurai branch by joint director Dr. Arvind. Dr. Ravindran gave us a rousing talk about the history, ethos and outreach of the hospital. His talk resonated a lot with the gathered yatri’s and resulted in a standing ovation towards the end. One of the most amazing things that stood out for me about the hospital was its utilisation of the most advanced forms of technology. Their hospital network is interlinked by a multi-mega bit wireless network that has a 75Km range. The hospital provides mobile medical units. Fully self contained optical diagnostics units that can travel in to the darkest depths rural India and bring advanced, world class optical treatment and diagnosis to millions of people who would otherwise not have access to such treatment and care.  The buses can transmit video and photos back to a main hospital and within minutes receive an in depth expert analysis. They are also equipped with equipment to carry out minor eye surgery.  The hospital is free to extremely poor people and treatment is heavily subsidised for all those who can afford to pay, making the Arvind Eyecare Hospital one of the most socially accessible and medically advanced hospitals in India today.