A partnership towards eliminating avoidable retinal blindness

 Hyderabad: L V Prasad Eye Institute, as part of its undertaking of developing various Institutes of Excellence that focus on major causes of blindness, is partnering with the Bajaj Group for an Institute of Excellence and a Global Resource Centre for Retinal Diseases.

The MoU to formalize the partnership was signed between Mr Shekhar Bajaj, Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Electricals Limited (BEL) and Dr Prashant Garg, Executive Chair, L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), on 21 January 2022. Named as the Anant Bajaj Retina Institute in the loving memory of late Mr Anant Bajaj, it will be an integral part of LVPEI. The Institute of Excellence aims to enhance access to high-quality retina care to several million more people through direct services of the LVPEI network and the work of its alumni and partners, and through capacity building across India and other parts of the world. Besides clinical care, the focus will be on training ophthalmologists and eye care personnel, building the capacity of other eye care organisations at national and international levels, promoting and enhancing research capacity in India and other developing countries, scaling up community eye health programs and utilizing technology for the better care of retinal diseases.

A World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for the Prevention of Blindness, LVPEI is one of the leading players in the global initiatives for eliminating avoidable blindness. “One of the strategic areas of focus for LVPEI is developing Institutes of Excellence and Global Resource Centres for controlling all major forms of blindness and visual impairment through dedicated efforts from health promotion to the treatment of complex eye diseases and rehabilitation of the incurably blind. The Anant Bajaj Retina Institute is one such initiative, and we are excited to partner with Mr Shekhar Bajaj and the Bajaj Group,” said Dr Prashant Garg, Executive Chair, L V Prasad Eye Institute.

The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities of Bajaj Group are guided by the vision and philosophy of its Founder, late Shri Jamnalal Bajaj, who embodied the concept of Trusteeship in business and the common good. “The Bajaj family wishes to thank LVPEI for naming their Retina Centre as Anant Bajaj Retina Institute. We are pleased to partner with an institution that is widely reputed for its excellence and innovation in providing world class service towards eye care.  We believe LVPEI and Anant Bajaj Retina Institute can together make a big difference through multiple eye care centres  to provide preventive and rehabilitation services to all, especially those in rural areas. Anant’s dream was to combine cutting-edge technology with philanthropy to make a difference in the lives of people. With the launch of the Anant Bajaj Retina Institute, his vision of an India with better eye health will come true,” said Mr Shekhar Bajaj, Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Electricals Limited (BEL).

The retina is the innermost layer of the eye and plays a critical role for sight. Once damaged, it results in irreversible vision loss. Examples of a few such vision-threatening retinal problems are Diabetic Retinopathy, Macular Degeneration, Retinal Detachment, Retinitis Pigmentosa and other hereditary retinal diseases, and Retinopathy of Prematurity. Blindness and vision impairment due to retinal diseases can be controlled and managed, provided it is diagnosed early and treated in time. “The Anant Bajaj Retina Institute comprises highly compassionate, experienced and accomplished clinicians, scientists and researchers. With this partnership, we will be scaling up our services to bring advanced retinal eye care services to the doorstep of communities – making it accessible and affordable for all. We extend our sincere thanks to the Bajaj group for their generous support,” said Dr Raja Narayanan, Network Head, Anant Bajaj Retina Institute.

About LVPEI: Established in 1987, L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Prevention of Blindness, is a comprehensive eye health facility. The Institute has ten functional arms to its areas of operations: Clinical Services, Education, Research, Vision Rehabilitation, Rural and Community Eye Health, Eye Banking, Advocacy and Policy Planning, Capacity Building, Innovation and Product Development. The LVPEI Eye Care Network has 236 Centres spread across the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka in India. The institute’s mission is to provide equitable and quality eye care to all sections of society. The LVPEI’s five-tier ‘Eye Health Pyramid’ model covering all sections of society right from the villages to the city, provides high quality and comprehensive – prevention, curative and rehabilitation – eye care to all. It has served over 32.11 million (3 crore 21 lakh people), with more than 50% of them entirely free of cost, irrespective of the complexity of care needed.

About Bajaj Group: The “Bajaj Group” founded 130 years ago, traces its roots to Jamnalal Bajaj, the founder patriarch of the Bajaj Family. Besides being a successful businessman, Jamnalal Bajaj was a freedom fighter, philanthropist and a close confidant of Mahatma Gandhi. He played a major role in the quest for India’s independence and spearheaded various movements in support of khadi, rural development, upliftment of backward classes, and more. After Jamnalalji, his philosophy of life and business were successfully taken forward by his sons Kamalnayanji and Ramkrishnaji. Built on core Gandhian values, the Bajaj Group has a legacy to be truly proud of. Today, the Group is spearheaded by Rahul Bajaj who has been responsible for increasing the business to greater levels of success and continuing the legacy of philanthropy, along with other family members. Today the Bajaj Group, is one of the most respected and renowned business houses of India.  The Group has 40 companies  with approximately 36,000 employees. Some of them are Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Electricals, Bajaj Finance, Mukand, Bajaj Allianz, Bajaj Finserv, Hercules Hoists to name a few. For society however, Bajaj is more than a corporate identity. It is a catalyst for social empowerment. Its goodwill resonates in the two simple words that live in the collective consciousness of Indians – Hamara Bajaj.  Though the Group ranks high in terms of turnover, profits and range of products and services, Bajaj Group believes that true measure of growth, success and progress lies beyond balance sheets and economic indices. For several decades, The Bajaj Group with its strong network of 200 + NGO partners and social investment has addressed the needs of communities, taking sustainable initiatives in the areas of health, science and technology for rural development, women and child welfare, education, environment conservation, restoration of national heritage, setting up public libraries, promotion of handicrafts and overall community development. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities of the Bajaj Group is guided by the vision of Shri Jamnalal Bajaj who laid the foundation for ethical, value-based and transparent functioning.