Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 15 : The Vice President CP Radhakrishnan on Thursday attended the 50th Golden Jubilee celebrations of Ramakrishna Hospital in Coimbatore, where he presented awards to senior doctors and honoured them.
At the event, SNR Trust administrators Sundararajan and Narendran, along with hospital administrators, were present.
Delivering the keynote address, Radhakrishnan said, "Ramakrishna Hospital has been rendering outstanding services in the medical field. He noted that the hospital has the distinction of introducing and excelling in medical tourism more than 50 years ago."
He emphasised that a spirit of service and dedication is essential to success in any endeavour. In this regard, he said Ramakrishna Hospital has operated with a strong service mindset for over five decades and hopes to continue succeeding for more than a hundred years.
Founded in 1970 by the SNR Trust on 18 acres of land with the objective of providing quality healthcare to all, especially the poor, the hospital today serves the public with over 1,000 beds, more than 16 operating theatres, advanced ICU facilities, and expertise in organ transplant surgeries.
He recalled that the hospital introduced MRI scan facilities to Coimbatore in the 1990s, pioneered kidney transplant surgeries, and inaugurated a modern cancer treatment centre launched by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
He said, "The hospital should continue to achieve new milestones. He particularly highlighted the Guinness World Record achieved by obtaining consent for 13,206 organ donations within eight hours, which reflects the hospital's strong spirit of service."
He also expressed his satisfaction with the hospital's service-oriented activities as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday celebrations.
He stated that every medical institution has two major responsibilities: curing patients and training doctors, and said, "This institution has successfully fulfilled both."
He added that both the Central and State government schemes are designed with public welfare in mind, especially healthcare assistance for the poor. For these schemes to successfully reach the people, cooperation, effort, and dedication from all stakeholders are essential. In this regard, he said, "hospital administration has been playing a vital role in delivering government schemes to the public."
Stressing that only a healthy citizen can actively contribute to the nation's development, he said, "A hospital gives practical shape to the idea of identifying the root causes of diseases and correcting them. Quoting Thirumoolar, he noted that a healthy body is essential for the soul to attain the Supreme Being, and said, "the hospital upholds this philosophy through its work."
Praising the institution for providing quality healthcare in Coimbatore, he wished that it continues to grow scientifically and said, "only a healthy India can create a 'Viksit Bharat', a developed India and concluded his speech.