Rishabh Rastogi
Prayagraj: The Netra Kumbh 2025 initiative at Prayagraj stands as a remarkable example of how Army veterans and IT experts joined forces to revolutionize eye care delivery for high-volume patients while ensuring total quality management. By integrating advanced technology, streamlined patient management, and strategic collaborations, this initiative ensured seamless and free access to ophthalmic treatment for thousands.
Impact in Numbers (As of 17th February 2025, Day 43)
* Total Patients Screened: 1,86,759
* Total Spectacles Distributed: 1,23,446
* Total Referrals for Advanced Treatment: 14,119
Leadership and Coordination
At the heart of this effort was a dedicated team of professionals from diverse backgrounds. Lt Col Dr. Praveen Kumar Reddy, Ex-Army Medical Corps (AMC) officer and Director of Swami Vivekananda Health Mission Society, played a pivotal role in mobilizing doctors and premier institutions across the country. Lt Col Shomi Vaibhav Nirban, Ex-EME and Founder Director of Shovaniya Vedic Farms, served as the Chief Coordinator Officer, ensuring the presence of 40 doctors on any given day for 50 consecutive days. She was supported by a committed volunteer team, including Ms. Veda Reddy (Law Graduate, London), Dr. Rituparna Acharya (Clinical Psychologist, Delhi), Mr. Uday (Delhi), and Ms. Neha (Delhi). Lt Col Dr. Radhakanth Nath, another Ex-AMC officer from Tripura, played a key role as Deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Netra Kumbh.
Advanced Technology & Data Management
Technology played a crucial role in managing the high volume of patients efficiently. A robust, in-house-built software system ensured seamless patient data management, tracking, and referral coordination. This system was designed and monitored by Mr. Prasanna Darog, a former IBM Senior Manager with over 20 years of experience in the U.S., now based in Bengaluru. Mr. Satish Jain provided developer support and cloud hosting, while Mr. Giridhar Balakrishna (Founder Director of Tamarind Applied Sciences, London), Mr. Balakrishna, and Mr. Archith worked on digitizing the entire Netra Kumbh operation. Together, they configured 250 laptops, maintained two servers, and managed cloud-based data, ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow for patient care.
Strategic Collaborations with India’s Leading Eye Care Institutions
A key factor in the success of Netra Kumbh 2025 was its ability to bring together some of India’s most renowned eye care institutions and medical organizations. These collaborations ensured that patients received expert diagnosis, high-quality treatment, and access to advanced surgical interventions when required. The initiative successfully referred over 14,000 patients for advanced treatment at leading hospitals.
Among the esteemed institutions that partnered in this initiative were:
- Sadguru Netra Chikitsalay, Chitrakoot
- Apollo Hospital & Billion Hearts Beating Foundation
- Army Medical Corps & Regional Institutes of Ophthalmology (RIOs) across India
- Sankara Nethralaya
- Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital
- Sankara Eye Hospitals
- L.V. Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI)
- AIIMS Delhi, Banaras Hindu University (BHU)
- Good Vision & Care Netram
- Vivekananda Polyclinic & Institute of Medical Sciences
These partnerships ensured that patients requiring advanced surgeries or specialized treatments were connected with expert institutions—all free of cost. Financial constraints did not prevent any individual from receiving life-changing eye care, reinforcing the initiative’s vision of eliminating preventable blindness through accessible, high-quality healthcare services.
A Scalable, Replicable Model for the Future
The Netra Kumbh model has demonstrated that a combination of military-style precision, IT-driven efficiency, and healthcare expertise can streamline patient care at an unprecedented scale. The initiative serves as a blueprint for future large-scale healthcare projects, proving that technology, strategic partnerships, and disciplined coordination can transform public health delivery.
By leveraging digital tools, mobilizing medical expertise, and forming strategic collaborations, Netra Kumbh has created a sustainable, replicable model that can be expanded across various healthcare domains to reach millions of underserved patients across Bharat.
