S.S. Badrinath (83) founding father of Sankara Nethralaya, and eminent vitreoretinal surgeon, handed away on November 21. His spouse Vasanthi is a paediatrician and haematologist. He had been ailing for a while.
“Our visionary Founder, a legend and compassionate leader Dr. S.S. Badrinath passed away early this morning. The last rites will be held after 9.30 A.M. today at the Beasant Nagar crematorium. SN is deeply saddened by the demise of our Founder,” an early notice from the establishment, stated.
Born on February 24, 1940 in Chennai (then Madras), Sengamedu Srinivasa Badrinath had his education within the metropolis. “As a child, Dr. S. S. Badrinath observed blindness up close when one of his relatives who was blind in both eyes came to stay with his family. The helplessness of a person without eyesight became deep‑rooted in the young child’s memory,” to cite an article on the ophthalmologist.
In line with Dr. Badrinath, this childhood reminiscence of blindness lingered in his unconscious thoughts and led to his determination of turning into an ophthalmologist. He graduated from the Madras Medical School in 1962, and pursued his graduate research in ophthalmology in the USA at Grasslands Hospital, New York College Postgraduate Medical Faculty, and Brooklyn Eye and Ear Infirmary till 1968. He labored as a fellow within the vitreoretinal companies of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, until 1970. On return to India in 1970, he labored for six years on the Voluntary Well being Providers (VHS), Adyar, as a advisor.
He arrange his non-public follow in ophthalmology and vitreoretinal surgical procedure on the H. M. Hospital (1970–1972) and Vijaya Hospital, Chennai (1973–1978). His religious {and professional} journey truly started in 1974 when Kanchi Mutt acharya Jayendra Saraswathi met a gaggle of younger docs and spoke to them about the necessity to set up hospitals in India that present world‑class look after our residents at reasonably priced prices, in response to the article, quoted above, authored by A.P. Irungovel, medical sociologist at Sankara Nethralaya. These hospitals must be run with a missionary spirit, with the target of offering high quality care equally to the haves and have‑nots. Dr. Badrinath’s affiliation with the Sankara Math began when he carried out a cataract surgical procedure on his religious guru Chandrasekerendra Saraswathi Swamigal.
As a consequence of steering from his religious mentors, in 1978, Dr. Badrinath based Sankara Nethralaya as a unit of the Medical Analysis Basis. The establishment went on to turn into iconic, an emblem of the progress of recent drugs, internet hosting each medical training and leading edge analysis together with affected person care. Folks from far and vast got here to Sankara Nethralaya for its therapy services.
It’s learnt that Dr. Badrinath left clear directions that after his demise, there must be no elaborate preparations, he additionally specified that nobody at Sankara Nethralaya ought to cease working even for a minute on account of paying homage to him. He left directions that they might put on an arm band, however ought to proceed to work.
Dr. Badrinath is a recipient of the Padma Sri in 1983 and Padma Bhushan in 1999, other than a bunch of different awards.