Press Releases & Archive

Memorandum of Understanding between Singapore National Eye Centre and Sankara Nethralaya

We are pleased to inform that Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) and Sankara Nethralaya (SN), a renowned eye centre in Chennai, India, has formalised collaborations with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday, 15 October 2002.

The two institutions share common hopes, aims and face similar developmental challenges. The formalisation of the MOU will facilitate further collaborations in the areas of patient care, training and education as well as research.

Clinical Service
An ophthalmic network is being developed with strategic alliances between SNEC and major centers around the world in the USA, Europe (UK, Spain), Canada, Australia, People's Republic of China and now India with the SN. This latest linkage will facilitate seamless care to eye patients traveling between Singapore and India. The international network aims to connect leading centres for cross referrals of patients who are frequent international travelers to ensure that they will receive the best eye care and expertise when needed. The latest information and communications link-up will be utilised for rapid transmission of clinical and research data to facilitate such inter-country patient referrals.

Training & Education
The two institutions have agreed to commence an exchange programme of ophthalmic trainees in 2003. As a start, one trainee each at the basic surgical training, higher surgical training and subspecialty fellowship levels will be identified and selected by the respective institutions for the exchange programme commencing next year. This will expose trainees to special training opportunities e.g. Singaporean trainees will benefit from the large pathology, immunology departments in SN while our Indian counterparts will be exposed to special developments and clinical trials involving the latest drug therapies, surgical devices in cornea, cataract, vitreo-retina and refractive surgery in the SNEC.

A Conjoint Update in Ophthalmology will be organised in Singapore by the joint faculties of SNEC and SN targeted at the ophthalmologists in Asia which will be held in the last quarter of 2003. The scientific meeting will cover subspecialties such as medical retina, surgical retina and uveitis. Programme will include updates, symposia, teaching courses and live surgery transmission.

Research
Both centers have identified diabetic retinopathy, genetics, infectious diseases, development of diabetic imaging systems and tele-ophthalmology as synergistic areas for collaboration. An exchange of portfolios and discussion on specific research projects between SNEC and SN will be convened during the major ophthalmic research meeting: SERI-ARVO meeting to be held in Singapore in February next year.

Other areas of collaboration will include IT development and the ongoing SNEC faculty participation in the teaching and examination for the Fellowship and Membership in Ophthalmology of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh hosted by SN in Chennai since 1999.

Singapore National Eye Centre and Sankara Nethralaya look forward with great anticipation to the expansion and continued success of the collaboration.

For more information, please email hua_meng_lee@snec.com.sg or ravi@snec.com.sg