MADURAI: One of the founding members of world renowned Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai Dr.G.Natchiar has said in Madurai today that she received the ‘Padma Shri’ award in New Delhi as a representative of the hospital and she always remains as a volunteer of this hospital.
“This is a huge institution known across India and all over the world. Aravind Eye Hospital was started as a 11-bedded eye care centre in Madurai in the year 1976. It is a honour for me to have received Padma Shri award from the Government of India as a third recipient of this great honour Padma Shri from this hospital. The founder of Aravind Eye Hospital Dr.G.Venkataswamy was conferred Padma Shri award in 1972 when he was a government eye doctor much before he started this great eye hospital,” Dr. G.Natchiar (83 yrs) told reporters at a press meet in Madurai on May 13th 2024.
THANKS COMMUNITY SUPPORT:
Stating that she just led the team at Aravind Eye Care System and went on to receive the award, Dr.Natchiar had stressed that community support and people’s backing always remained a great asset for Aravind Eye Hospital since its inception in the year 1976 because the focus was on low cost top class eye care along with free eye treatment to needy people.
“Padma Shri is a very big award for me. Aravind Eye Hospital was started in 1976 by seven members (five doctors, one engineer and one management person). We showed our management efficiency as a successful model despite providing free eye care treatment to about 45 per cent patients. We are all volunteers here in this hospital. No donations is our mission and I am very happy here in Madurai today after receiving the Padma Shri award 2024 from the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi who is also a woman and our hospital stands for women empowerment,” said Dr.G.Natchiyar who is the third recipient of this great civilian honour Padma Shri in Aravind Eye Hospital-Madurai after Dr.G.Venkataswamy and Dr.P.Namperumalsamy.
