Eye clinic project/March 2016
 
Our club is taking part in a $155,000 international project involving the addition of a surgical room at the Rotary Eye Hospital in the Proddutur region of India.

The non-profit hospital is a pet project of Dr. Ramakrishnayya Gadam, president of Advanced Diagnostic Imaging and a research adviser with Robertson Technologies, both in Saginaw Township, and the chief radiologist at St. Mary's in the city of Saginaw.

A member of the Rotary Club of Saginaw Sunrise, Dr. Gadam (pictured) has worked with Rotary of India to develop and grow the Rotary Eye Hospital. 

The 10,000-square-foot hospital was established in 1989 and he became involved with it in 1992 -- making annual visits there to "monitor" things.

The hospital serves 2 million people in 321 villages, providing free or affordable eye examinations and eye surgery to the poor. 

Over two decades, staff have performed exams for more than 360,000 patients and done 40,000 cataract operations, Dr. Gadam says, and in 2015 performed its largest number of operations (5,700) in a year. The new operation room will enable an additional 400-450 eye surgeries each month.

Our club donated $4,000 to the operation room addition project. Other funds are coming from the Rotary Club of Saginaw Sunrise, the Rotary Club of Saginaw Valley, the Rotary Club of Proddutur, Rotary District 6310 of Michigan, Rotary District 3160 of India and Rotary International.

Dr. Gadam was born in Banganapalli, India, one of 11 children in a farming family. 

His connection to Rotary came early in his life when, as a failing 8th grader, members of Rotary International came to his school offering free eye exams. He learned he had a sight problem, could not properly see the chalk board, got glasses, and his grades improved...so much so he decided to become a doctor.

Dr. Gadam came to the United States in 1975 after graduating from medical school in India and training as a surgeon. He completed a radiology residency and fellowship in nuclear medicine at Mount Carmel Mercy Hospital in Detroit and worked there until relocating to Saginaw in 1987.