Infosys Foundation partners with Sankara Eye Hospitals to provide sustainable eye care services

To construct Sankara Academy of Vision – Infosys Ophthalmic Training and Research Center

Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Infosys, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sankara Eye Hospitals to establish a sustainable eyecare training academy and undertake research and training activities in various fields of eyecare.

As part of the MoU, Sankara Eye Hospital, a recognised centre for training and capacity building of both medical and non-medical staff, will be provided with a grant of Rs 5 crores. The grant was duly invested in the construction of the ‘Sankara Academy of Vision – Infosys Ophthalmic Training and Research Center,’ and will be utilised towards providing training and research activities through the Sankara Academy of Vision, a training institution for modern eyecare and delivery systems.

With the intent of generating qualified and competent human resource, technical and non-technical training will be facilitated to participants from various socio-economic strata. Medical courses and fellowships in ophthalmology, short-term training courses in surgical techniques, paramedical courses in vision care, and additional capacity building activities for staff of all Sankara Eye Care Institutions (SECI) hospitals are the educational activities that will be enabled through this endowment.

Along with the benefits reaching out to meritorious students, the benefaction will also promote a job oriented and job guaranteed vocational training program for rural women. Reportedly, the Foundation and Sankara Eye Center will gainfully employ about 130 rural girls from low socio-economic backgrounds as Vision Care Technicians at SECI hospitals near their respective villages. These employed women would thereafter help conduct eye camps in catchment areas of SECI Hospitals, thus reaching about 10,000 persons per annum.