Past Partners

Rajasthan

The Shree Bhairav Eye Hospital, Bisalpur.
Mandoli Eye Hospital.
Jaitaran Eye Hospital.

The late Rajmal Jain headed our first partner hospital in India and lent his help to many other Second Sight partners.

‘ Rajmal Jain’s uncompromising stand for truth and transparency made him a respected rarity but also brought him nothing but success in all his endeavours…everything he did was done with the minimum of dramatics.’

‘Rajmal was not a whistle-blower or noisy critic. But he was no soft touch. A mild-mannered Jain, born in a small village in Rajasthan and who had received very little formal education (he) unwittingly taught me a skill…rapid, quietly executed disengagement from dodgy dealers in whatever form.’

Excerpt from OUTGROWING THE BIG by Lucy Mathen

Himachal Pradesh

Raisin Eye Hospital.
Keylong Hospital.

‘ When he was 19 years-old Dennis Kendall had ended up in hospital in the city of Ludhiana after a motorcycle accident. The legendary Dr Victor Rambo was Professor of Ophthalmology at that time. He noticed the gloomy young man lying in bed with his broken limbs and approached him. He asked Dennis what plans he had for the future. Dennis was stumped. He had no plans. Dr Rambo suggested that he dedicate his life to eye-care for India’s poor.’

Excerpt from Lucy Mathen’s book -A RUNAWAY GOAT

Dennis, now in his 90s, is still running Raison Eye Hospital. And still ironing his own shirt every day!

Odisha

ECOS, Berhampur.
Diptipur Hospital.

Uttar Pradesh

Jiwan Jyoti Hospital.
Kachhwa Hospital.

We are grateful to Jone Wills, one of the best hospital administrators we have known, who pointed us in the direction of Bihar.

‘ Send your surgeons…if we have the opportunity to restore sight to so many more poor people we must do it. If we run out of space, we can even use the church.’

Excerpt from A RUNAWAY GOAT by Lucy Mathen

Bihar

Duncan Hospital, East Champaran.
GEMS Hospital, Rohtas.

Dr Helen Rao is the reason we centred our work in Bihar. For 7 years, Second Sight surgeons worked alongside Helen and her team. She is fondly remembered by the people and has helped many Second Sight partner hospitals.

‘‘ In the early 2000s Dr. Helen Rao was fiercely independent and managing to run the eye department ( at the Duncan Hospital) which she had established in 1989, without outside help. She trained each member of staff herself. ‘First I train the girls, then I train the boys. Then I encourage them to marry so that I don’t lose them!’
A highly experienced eye surgeon, she carried out all the cataract operations herself. She says she stopped counting when she reached 50,000.”

Excerpt from OUTGROWING THE BIG by Lucy Mathen

Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, Bihar.

This hospital’s mission is no longer consistent with our principles. However, we spent some good years here restoring sight to thousands of blind patients and training doctors and paramedics. We remember the very first footballers who came out to play with our footballing founder Dr Lucy Mathen, a seminal event that inspired a scheme that brought women into the all-male workforce.

‘ …a winner-takes-all business approach, Mritunjay (Tiwari) wanted the AJEH to become a monopoly, the only Bihar Brand in eye care and a brand for export to other states…a thirst for rapid expansion and a quite aggressive intolerance of other hospitals’ efforts. This was not at all helpful if we were all, truly, aiming to see Bihar free of curable blindness…. with so many blind patients requiring urgent treatment in Bihar, competition between hospitals is not only pointless but counter-productive. It wastes time and resources.’

Excerpt from Lucy Mathen’s book - OUTGROWING THE BIG

Jharkhand

Chouparan Eye Hospital.
Dumka Hospital.