Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy

Born: 1 October 1918
Died: 7 July 2006

• He was popularly known as ‘Dr. V.’ was an Indian ophthalmologist who dedicated his life to eliminate needless blindness.
• He is best known for developing a high quality, high volume, low-cost service delivery model that has restored sight to millions of people.
• As a government servant he helped develop and pioneer the concept of eye camps and received a Padma Shri from the Government of India in 1973.
• In 1992, Venkataswamy and partners of Aravind founded Aurolab.
  5.In 1996, under Venkataswamy’s leadership, the Lions Aravind Institute for Community Ophthalmology (LAICO) was founded.
• Venkataswamy is the founding member of Seva Foundation (a US-based non-profit organisation), that partnered with Aravind in the early years by widening the organisation’s access to the latest technology and skilled volunteers.
• He was recipient of the Padma Shri Award (1973).
  8.He was recipient Lifetime Service Award from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, 1982.
• On 1 October 2018, search engine Google commemorated Dr Venkataswamy with a Doodle on his birth centenary.
• He was recipient ASCRS Ophthalmology Hall of Fame, 2004.

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