Savitri’s long-standing work in Eyecare has come full circle. As many of our friends will remember, the Trust held a gala dinner and auction in 2016 hosted at The Arts Club, raising funds for Savitri’s Indian Eyecare programme.  

Following the event’s huge success, it was decided that the funds would be used to construct an eye hospital in the district of Purnea with our trusted partners at Akhand Jyoti, to further contribute to Savitri’s mission of ending cataract blindness in Bihar. 

It is with immense joy we announce that on the occasion of World Sight Day 2020, the new ‘Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital – Savitri Waney Charitable Eye Centre’ was inaugurated and opened to patients.

Specifically chosen for its location, the new 60-bed hospital has been designed to serve a particularly underprivileged region of Bihar, offering curative and preventive eye care services – both affordable and accessible – to communities most in need. 

Equipped with 3 operating theaters, an optical unit and showroom, a pharmacy and a pathological laboratory, the Purnea-based hospital will provide over 10,000 sight-restoring surgeries annually. 

“Rural patients, mostly illiterate identify all our hospitals and primary centres with these vibrant colours. Lal hai toh Akhand Jyoti hoga (if it’s red it must be Akhand Jyoti) – that’s their maxim”. Mritunjay Tiwary, Founder Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital  

Despite the on-going challenges of the pandemic, Akhand Jyoti have adapted the hospital’s service delivery under local Covid guidelines, including the implementation of door-to-door screening in the place of standard eye camps. In the 6-month period since its inauguration, the hospital has conducted over 3,500 surgeries.

This is a significant milestone for Savitri’s Eyecare Programme, and we look forward to building on the success of this new hospital moving forward.