Healing beyond borders: AIIMS doctors’ odyssey to restore sight

It was sometime in 2009. Despite his demanding schedule in the OPD and operation theatre at the Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences (RP Centre) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, eminent retinal surgeon Dr Rajvardhan Azad travelled to Lahore to present a paper at the Asia Pacific Academy.

There, he met several eye specialists from Pakistan and other countries. After a couple of days, he returned to Delhi and resumed his work at the RP Centre. While checking his email, he found a message from an eye surgeon friend in Karachi, whom he had recently met in Lahore. The Pakistani surgeon requested him to treat two children, aged four and two, as “their vision is getting from bad to worse.”

A swift response

In his recently published book Sone Ke Haath, which recounts his four decades of association with the RP Centre from student to Director, Dr Azad writes, “Without wasting any time, I asked the Pakistani surgeon to send me some reports of those patients. I told him that once I checked the reports, I would be able to tell whether the children could be treated.”

Fortunately, the reports arrived promptly. Dr Azad reviewed them thoroughly and informed his friend across the Radcliffe border that the children could indeed be treated, and their vision significantly restored—though a delay in surgery could prove fatal.

The visa challenge

Another hurdle soon appeared: the children and their parents needed visas to travel to India. Dr Azad recalled, “On behalf of the RP Centre at AIIMS, I requested the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to issue visas to Faisal and Mahmood and their parents so that they could be treated. After I sent the email, I was surprised to receive a call from a first secretary at the Indian High Commission. He asked me some questions, and I requested him to issue the visas.”

Within days, both children and their parents reached Delhi. After initial check-ups, Dr Azad was convinced their eyesight could be fully restored. The parents told him they had heard much about his work in Pakistan. He reassured them that everything would be fine after the operation, asking them only to “pray to Allah.”

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Fighting blindness in the operation theatre

In an interview, Dr Azad recalled how he decided to operate the very next day. “The retinas in both eyes of each child had detached. The retinal detachment in both children was at an advanced stage. After great effort, we managed to reposition their retinas correctly.”

He said that after a lengthy operation, he emerged from the theatre to find the children’s parents praying outside. He told them the operation had been successful and urged them to continue praying for their children’s eyesight. Both children stayed at the hospital for a few days, and their vision was restored. The episode was widely covered by the media.

Sadly, Dr Azad notes, many other patients like Faisal and Mahmood could not receive treatment at AIIMS because of strained relations between India and Pakistan.

The RP Centre legacy

Dr Azad also pays tribute in his book to Prof LP Agarwal, whom he calls the visionary founder of the RP Centre. “Under his guidance, the RP Centre became India’s first super-specialty eye institute. He inspired generations of RP Centre faculty, students, and staff to serve patients selflessly,” he writes

A vitreo-retina specialist, Dr Azad served as Chief of the RP Centre from 2011 to 2014 and is also known as a poet. Reflecting on the values of the institute, he said, “We doctors never discriminate against our patients based on their status. Each patient is thoroughly examined by junior residents before senior doctors make the final decision. We get this kind of training from our seniors. This legacy is upheld at AIIMS. That is why we earn great respect from our patients.”

At AIIMS, he added, one will find thousands of patients from every corner of the country. From beggars to senior government officials, everyone stands in the same line. The constant flow of patients in the morning and evening reflects the immense trust the nation places in the institute.

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A global reputation

The RP Centre, established in 1967 as a national hub for advanced eye treatment, has grown into one of the premier institutions for ophthalmology worldwide. It serves as the apex body under India’s National Programme for Control of Blindness, offering state-of-the-art patient care, cutting-edge research, and technical expertise.

“RP Centre faculty and alumni have emerged as global leaders, contributing to innovations in retinal surgery, eye banking, and blindness prevention. The centre’s advanced facilities, such as modern eye banks and specialised units for vitreo-retina and glaucoma, have set benchmarks, earning it recognition for world-class outcomes in a resource-constrained setting,” said Dr Vinay Aggarwal, former President of the Indian Medical Association.

Dr Azad summed up in Sone Ke Haath: “Once someone has been associated with AIIMS, they remain dedicated to the service of humanity. The faculty at AIIMS are respected worldwide. They rank among the world’s most skilled doctors. Under their guidance, new doctors in the country are trained.”