BY MEHER LANKA
Gandey, Jharkhand, India, May 16, 2025: It was a bright and rather hot afternoon at 3:21 p.m. IST on April 7, 2025, when two 42-foot-long, 10-foot-wide buses rolled into Katras and headed toward the Community Health Center in Gandey—two full days ahead of schedule. These were the Mobile Eye Surgical Unit (MESU) buses of Sankara Nethralaya, arriving early to avoid logistical issues due to the upcoming Sri Rama Navami celebrations. Gandey, located in the coal and mica mining region of Giridih district, is a rural village that rarely sees such advanced medical interventions.
News of the free eye cataract surgery camp was broadcast through loudspeakers mounted on autorickshaws for two weeks ahead of the start date, ensuring the message reached remote communities.
The MESU concept was the brainchild of Padma Bhushan Dr. S. S. Badrinath, the founder of Sankara Nethralaya, who envisioned bringing world-class eye surgeries to patients in underserved areas. Unlike other mobile units that perform only screenings, MESU brings experienced doctors and fully equipped operating theaters on wheels to the patients’ doorstep—offering critical surgeries without requiring patients to travel to urban centers.
The first MESU unit was established in Chennai in 2011. The Jamshedpur MESU Unit began operations in Chaibasa, Jharkhand, in 2016 with support from Tata Steel. These units, designed by IIIT Madras, are constructed with surgical steel interiors and equipped with power generators and climate-resilient sheds. One bus functions as the pre-screening unit and the other as the operating theater, connected by a custom-built vestibule for safe patient transfer. Tata Steel remains the primary sponsor, facilitating camps in villages up to 500 km away.
For the first time, Sankara Nethralaya USA (SNUSA) President and Sankara Ratna Bala Reddy Indurti galvanized donors through the Adopt-a-Village Program to support MESU camps in Jharkhand.
Since taking on the role seven years ago, Indurti has expanded the MESU fleet with units in Hyderabad, Telangana, and Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh. The Chennai MESU Unit has so far conducted 137 eye camps, screening 124,664 patients and performing 19,550 surgeries. The Jharkhand MESU Unit has completed 114 camps, screened 51,202 patients, and performed 12,564 surgeries—two of which were sponsored by SNUSA donors.
The Hyderabad MESU, launched in 2024 with support from SNUSA, Founder SV Acharya, and President Indurti, has held 20 camps, screening 19,967 patients and completing 2,354 surgeries. The Puttaparthi MESU began in February 2025 with support from SNUSA, Anand Dasari, and Moorthy Rekapalli. This unit has completed 2 camps, screened 1,217 patients, and performed 176 surgeries. MESU units for Ettayapuram and Visakhapatnam are slated to begin field operations in August 2025 and 2026, respectively.
The 113th MESU camp was held in Gandey, Jharkhand, from April 9–17, 2025. It was inaugurated by MLA and Deputy Chief Minister Smt. Kalpana Murmu Soren. Eye screenings took place from April 9–12, followed by cataract surgeries from April 13–17, conducted by Sankara Nethralaya staff from Kolkata. The camp screened 692 patients and successfully performed 74 cataract surgeries without complications. Another 86 complex cases were referred to Sankara Nethralaya hospitals in Kolkata and Chennai for free follow-up surgeries.
This camp was sponsored by Sri Kannan Venkateshwar in honor of his parents, Sri C. U. Venkateshwar and Smt. Shanta Venkateshwar. Though they were unable to attend due to a personal emergency, their contribution made the camp possible. Mementoes were presented to all SN staff and volunteers by BOXA Trust on the closing day.
The 114th MESU camp took place in Mohanpur, Giridih district, from April 30 to May 8, 2025, and was inaugurated by Jharkhand Cabinet Minister Shri Sudivya Kumar Sonu at Shri Shishu Vidya Mandir. Eye screenings extended from four to six days, with surgeries held over four days. Screenings and surgeries were conducted simultaneously on the last two days to maximize outreach. A total of 592 patients were screened, and 74 surgeries were completed successfully. Another 74 patients needing advanced care were referred to the main hospitals in Kolkata and Chennai.
Each surgical patient received an intraocular lens implant, a pair of dark protective glasses, and will receive free reading glasses after one month. Patients requiring specialized care are invited to visit the main hospitals with travel expenses as the only cost; stay, meals, and treatment are covered by Sankara Nethralaya.
This second camp was made possible by sponsors Smt. Swarnim Kanth and Sri Kartik Ramakrishnan of Atlanta, GA, USA. SNUSA Trustee Meher Lanka coordinated the involvement of local sponsor BOXA Trust, an alumni association of St. Xavier’s School, Bokaro. Trust founder Sri Arvind Chopra ensured local approvals, organized volunteers, managed logistics including ambulance transport, meal arrangements, and security for the MESU units. Volunteers included Tej Bahadur, Amardeep Kumar, Anita Kumari, and Anjali Singh.
On the final day, mementoes were presented to SN staff, teachers, and volunteers. In gratitude, BOXA Trust installed a new RO water filtration system in the host school.
Sankara Nethralaya extends heartfelt thanks to camp sponsors Sri Kannan Venkateshwar (Camp #113), Smt. Swarnim Kanth and Sri Kartik Ramakrishnan (Camp #114), and local partner BOXA Trust for their unwavering support in helping eliminate preventable blindness in rural India.
Bala Reddy Indurti expressed deep gratitude to Sankara Nethralaya Chairman Dr. S. Surendran, President Dr. Girish Rao, General Manager Suresh Kumar, Project Coordinators Koushik Adhikary and Ujjal Sinha, SNUSA Founder Sri SV Acharya, EVP Shyam Appali, Secretary Vamsi Eruvaram, and Trustee Meher Lanka for their tireless support in making these MESU camps a success.
