Velicham, a project to treat people for various eye diseases in tier 2 and 3 cities and villages will be launched shortly in the State. Maxivision Super Speciality Eye Hospitals will launch the project shortly with its eye hospitals reaching out to rural pockets, said its chairman G.S.K. Velu.
The hospital group signed an agreement with the State government on Tuesday with the aim of establishing a hub-and-spoke model of health facilities to introduce high-end technology such as mobile robotic surgery, digital eye surgery and teleophthalmology. “We plan to establish 20 or 30 hospitals in tier 2 and 3 cities and recruit 200 doctors,” he said. The group plans to focus on Madurai, Tiruchi, and Salem districts.
Dr. Velu said Tamil Nadu was the fourth State the group had expanded to. It has established eye hospitals in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat.
Shibu Varkey, chief medical director of Tamil Nadu, said the group would set up vision centres in rural areas that would diagnose people and the doctors stationed in cities would plan surgeries. “We plan to do outreach programmes besides training doctors,” said Bernard Rajkumar, regional medical director for Madurai.
Sudheer V.S., chief executive officer of the group, said it would participate in community programmes such as blindness prevention initiatives in tier 3 and tier 4 towns and villages in close cooperation with the State government.
