Aravind Eye Hospital - The Beginning

The Beginning

The problem of avoidable blindness rapidly escalating remained a major cause of concern in the Indian healthcare scenario. In a developing country the government alone cannot meet the health needs of all owing to a number of challenges like growing population, inadequate infrastructure, low per capita income, aging population, diseases in epidemic proportions and illiteracy. Realizing this, Dr. Venkataswamy wished to establish an alternate health care model that could supplement the efforts of the government and also be self-supporting. Following his retirement at age 58 in 1976, he established the GOVEL Trust under which Aravind Eye Hospitals were founded. The GOVEL Trust was created as a non-profit trust, with Dr V as Chairman and his two brother, two sisters and their spouses and an ex officio member, the Madurai Main Rotary President as trust members. Dr V started with a modest 11-bed hospital, in Dr V brother's home at Madurai, after most banks refused to lend him money because of his age and eccentric model. In this hospital six beds were reserved for people who could not afford to pay while the remaining five were for paying patients. He had to mortgage all the jewellery of his family members to raise funds to start the first hospital. The hospitals were named after Sri Aurobindo, one of the 20th century's most revered spiritual leaders. In essence, Sri Aurobindo's teachings insist on transcendence into a heightened state of consciousness and becoming better instruments for the divine force to work through.

Dr.G.Venkataswamy

Since the very beginning, family members of Dr V have played an important and vital role in the growth and eventual success of the Aravind Eye Hospitals. Dr. V’s sister, Dr. G. Natchiar, her husband, Dr. Nam, Dr. Nam's sister and her husband, all ophthalmologists working in the government hospital at Madurai, joined the cause in the beginning itself. Over the years, other family members have also joined in various capacities and many have taken leadership roles. After the death of Dr Venkataswamy in 2006, his younger sister, Dr. Natchiar, and her husband, Dr. Namperumalsamy lead the efficient team of doctors, nurses and volunteers at Aravind.