[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 171 (Thursday, October 1, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5112-H5113]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING DR. GOVINDAPPA VENKATASWAMY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Krishnamoorthi) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Mr. Speaker, today, on the 102nd anniversary of 
his birth, I rise to honor Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy, an Indian 
ophthalmologist who devoted his life to preventing blindness in India 
and across the world.
  Dr. Venkataswamy's work preserved the vision of millions of men, 
women, and children, allowing them the blessing of sight and the 
opportunity to enjoy independent, productive lives.
  Though Dr. V suffered from a severe form of rheumatoid arthritis that 
left his hands permanently disfigured, he defied all odds to become an 
expert ophthalmologist and mastered the art of cataract surgery.
  Having witnessed the terrible impact of blindness on those without 
the means to pay for their own care, Dr. V pursued an extraordinarily 
ambitious program to end preventable blindness in India.
  In 1976, Dr. V and members of his family founded the first of what 
would later become a network of Aravind Eye Hospitals in Madurai, 
India.
  The Aravind Eye Care System has been acclaimed by Harvard Business 
School and is the focus of an HBS case study. It has also been 
recognized for excellence in publications, including Fast Company, 
Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal, and it has inspired healthcare 
organizations throughout the developing world.
  From its humble beginning in Madurai, the Aravind Eye Care System now 
provides care to over 4 million patients and performs over 500,000 
surgeries each year in hospitals and clinics throughout south India.

[[Page H5113]]

  Dr. V passed away in 2006, but his legacy continues to give eyesight 
to those who otherwise would be blind, and his story continues to 
inspire millions.
  His life is best celebrated by his own words:

       When we identify ourselves with all that is in the world, 
     there is no exploitation. It is ourselves we are helping. It 
     is ourselves we are healing.

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