Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said “In this divine city of Lord Shankar, the RJ Sankara Eye Hospital is dedicated to the people from today… This hospital will remove the darkness from the lives of countless people in Varanasi and this region, guiding them toward the light… In every sense, it represents a fusion of spirituality and modernity. This hospital will serve the elderly and give new sight to children.”

The PM also added that “this eye hospital has created new employment opportunities for the youth. Medical students can do internships and practice here, and numerous individuals will find work as support staff.” Watch the full video of the Prime Minister’s address about the RJ Sankara Eye Hospital, Varanasi. The Prime Minister had also inaugurated SEF’s hospital at Anand, Gujarat when he was the state’s Chief Minister. He said, “I have had the privilege of being associated with the noble endeavors of the Sankara Eye Foundation in the past as well. During my tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat, I was involved in the inauguration of the Sankara Eye Hospital there.”

The Varanasi hospital’s location is ideally suited to serve people from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Nepal. The hospital will function on a cross-subsidization model wherein the income from paying patients will offset the costs of free surgeries for those in need.