Spotlight On : Dr.Sujata Rao, Opthalmologist and Philanthropist on World Health Day

In light of the pandemic, environmental pollution, and an increase in the prevalence of infectious illnesses, the theme for World Health Day 2022 is Our Planet, Our Health. This theme of Our Planet, Our Health is undoubtedly an attempt to powerfully remind us that these are beyond the exclusive remit of the health sector and, as a result, an effective response will necessitate the whole-of-society approaches. Join us as we commemorate World Health Day by celebrating our efforts to improve and protect the environment. On this World Health Day, we also attempt to explore and honour the achievements of a woman in the field of health care, whom we admire, honour, and are proud of. This phenomenal woman in health care, particularly in the field of vision care, is Dr. Sujata Rao, an Ophthalmologist and the granddaughter of our founder, S.R.Gopal Rao. We discuss this remarkable achiever today in the hopes of inspiring many to follow in her footsteps.

Dr.Sujata Rao, Consultant Opthalmologist | Linkedin

Dr. Sujata Rao is now in the Channel Islands of Guernsey, but her career began in India. She earned her MBBS degree in Bangalore, finished her post-graduate education at Shankar Nethralaya, Chennai, and gained good experience in Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai. Dr. Sujata Rao completed her post-graduation in 1994 and spent three years in the Lions Aravind community and institute of ophthalmology; with this knowledge, she returned to Bangalore and helped establish the Rotary Eye Hospital, funded by Rotary and serviced people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. We are delighted and proud of her contributions, but as is de rigueur, this did not come without setbacks and difficulties. Dr. Sujata Rao overcame adversity and thrived to achieve success. Dr. Sujata concedes that she faced difficulties when she was younger. Despite all this, her want to contribute to the health care sector and well being of the people never stopped. She has participated in over a hundred eye camps and performed over 7,000 surgeries. She then worked in Windsor until 2015, before moving to the Channel Islands, where she stayed until 2021 and is currently working with the Rotary Club of Guernsey to execute diabetic retinopathy screening in rural India, on a large scale. Dr. Sujata Rao chose service, and her contributions are recognised on a global scale.

We interviewed Dr. Sujata Rao to honour her and introduce her to a wider audience. We intend to learn more about her life, her role in contributing to the health care sector, her perspective on women in science, then and now, as well as her personal opinions on technological advancements and the challenges she faced as the technologies evolved. We did, however, gain more insight into her perspective on relearning everything to be good at what one does, as well as the relevance of unlearning things and being aware of the basics, as they are the foundation of everything that we have become. Check out Dr. Sujata Rao's video interview on our YouTube Channel to learn more. We hope you are inspired and will be even more inspired after hearing her speak, and that you will look up to her.