Eminent vitreoretinal surgeon, Founder of Sankara Nethralaya Dr SS Badrinath no more

Chennai: Eminent vitreoretinal surgeon and founder of Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, Dr Sengamedu Srinivasa Badrinath, the man who inspired thousands of eye care professionals globally and in India is no more.

Dr Badrinath unfortunately passed away at his residence on Tuesday due to old age-related ailments at the age of 83. His last rites were held at 11 am today at the Besant Nagar Crematorium.

Dr Badrinath was a true visionary who identified the hidden talents in his teammates and students. As a head of the institute, he nurtured those talents that resulted in the building of an excellent team of ophthalmologists, which took Sankara Nethralay and Indian ophthalmologists to greater heights.

Dr Badrinath’s clinical skills were par excellence and he was a very meticulous surgeon, a compassionate clinician, a very good counsellor, and a rapt listener.

He is survived by his wife Dr Vasanthi Badrinath, a paediatrician and Hematologist, and two sons Ananth Badrinath and Seshu Badrinath.

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According to a report by The Hindu, Dr Badrinath had left instructions to the hospital that there should be no elaborate funeral arrangements and that no one should stop working after his demise. He had reportedly said that they could wear a black armband as a mark of grief and continue to work.

Dr Sengamedu Srinivasa Badrinath was born on February 24, 1940, in Triplicane, Chennai. His father, Sri S. V. Srinivasa Rao, a Licentiate in Engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai, was employed in the Madras Government Service as an Engineer in the Public Works and Food production department. Badrinath's mother, Smt. Lakshmi Devi was the daughter of a leading advocate from Nerur, Tamilnadu. Youngest of seven siblings, Dr Badrinath was brought up in "middle class" ethics and rooted in the culture and tradition of our Bharath. He lost both his parents while still in his teens and completed his medical studies from the life insurance policy money obtained following the demise of his father.

Beginning his education at age 7, due to a childhood illness, Dr Badrinath studied at P S High School, Mylapore and Sri Ramakrishna Mission High School, T. Nagar, Chennai. He completed the "intermediate" collegiate study at Loyola College between 1955 and 1957. He was a student of the Madras Medical College between 1957 and 1962 completing his medical studies in the first attempt and securing the highest marks in ophthalmology in the University Examination.

He pursued his graduate studies in ophthalmology in the United States of America at Grasslands Hospital, New York University postgraduate medical school and Brooklyn Eye and Ear Infirmary between 1963 and 1968. He worked as a fellow in the vitreoretinal services of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston under Dr Charles L. Schepens from 1968 to 70. He passed the examination for the Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (Canada) and the American Board Examination in Ophthalmology in 1969 and 1970 respectively.

He met Dr Vasanthi Iyengar, a board-certified pediatrician and Hematologist in Brooklyn New York in 1966, and married her on 3rd June 1967. They have two sons. Forsaking citizenship and immigration into Canada and the USA, the Badrinath returned to India keeping their promise to his Guru, Dr Charles L Schepens, in March/April 1970, after a seven-and-a-half-year stay abroad.

From 1970, for a period of six years, Dr Badrinath worked at the Voluntary Health Services, Adyar as a consultant. He set up his private practice in ophthalmology and vitreoretinal surgery at the H.M. Hospital (1970 to 1972) and Vijaya Hospital, Chennai (1973 to 1978).

In 1974, Dr Badrinath was most privileged and blessed to have had the opportunity to serve His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekerendra Saraswathi Swamigal, the 68th Peetathipathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam.

In 1975, he was most fortunate to have been ordained to start a medical institution with a missionary spirit by His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal.

In 1978 Dr S S Badrinath founded the Medical Research Foundation as ordained by His Holiness Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal. He is currently the president of the Medical Research Foundation of which Sankara Nethralaya is the hospital unit, a registered society, and a charitable non-profit ophthalmic organization. He is also the Chairman Emeritus of Sankara Nethralaya. Over the next 24 years, he and his colleagues relentlessly pursued the triple objectives of the foundation; 1) quality care at affordable cost, 2) teaching and training of ophthalmologists and paramedical personnel to create an army for combating blindness in India and, 3) research in vision sciences addressing the ophthalmic problems specific to India.

He was the recipient of Dr B. C. Roy National Award (1991), Padma Bhushan in 1999 from The Government of India, Padma Sri in 1983

Received the Life Time Achievement Award from Madras City Ophthalmological Association on 29.11.2009 and was The Chairman of The Telehealth Society of India, Life Time Achievement Award by FICCI on 20.2.2010, Felicitated by The Rotary Club of Chennai Galaxy in Chennai on 27.6.2010, Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by University of Missouri, USA, Received “Seva Rathna” award from Srirangan Srimad Andavan Ashramam on 10.4.2011

Dr S S Badrinath has many scientific publications to his credit and works hard even today at the age of 71 for a brighter tomorrow for Sankara Nethralaya and Ophthalmology in India

His demise is a great loss to the medical fraternity who expressed their deep sorrow and condolences to the bereaved family on social media.

Taking to social media site X, Tamil Nadu Congress vice president Rama Suganthan said "My Prayers and condolences to family and friends on the demise of Dr Badrinath Founder Sankar Nethralaya, a premier eye care hospital in Chennai and that has served many poor patients."

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