About us
Velemegna Vision Statement
Velemegna society seeks to demonstrate the love of Christ through excellence in health care and community services.
Velemegna Mission Statement
Velemegna is a registered charitable society. We provide quality eye care services, which is comprehensive and affordable to all. This is achieved by education, training, research, and excellence in service delivery. In addition, we will continue with Founder`s compassion for care of the Leprosy affected.
Velemegna Motto
“Restoring Sight – Transforming Lives”.
“VELEMEGNA” stands for –
V – VILLAGE
E – EVANGELICAL
L – LEPROSY
E – ERADICATION
M – MEDICAL
E – EDUCATIONAL
G –GOOD
N – NEWS
A – ASSOCIATION
We Are Always
Glad to Help
Founders
Dr. Mrs. Sybil (Salins) Meshramkar (Director)
Dr. Sybil [Salins] Meshramkar, the current Director of Velemegna, is the oldest child of its founders, Christy and Sushila Salins. With the support, guidance, efforts and prayers of three younger siblings – Swarthick, Serena and Sundeep – she has kept their parents’ work going and growing since 2003. In addition to directing all activities of Velemegna from her home within the Salins Eye Hospital, she is solely responsible for all hospital surgeries.
As a child, Sybil excelled in the sciences and seemed destined, like both her parents, to become a physician. But she had other plans and was attracted to the “arts.” The “arts,” however, were not attracted to her, and in time, she made the difficult decision to attend medical school. After completing her studies, she returned to Bidar to start a small hospital in the nearby village of Baridabad. Except for spiders, snakes, and scorpions, she was pretty much by herself. Only by curing a sick woman who had come to her after all other doctors had turned her away was she able to build confidence in her practice. Soon, people of the village came to her for care and the hospital began to flourish.
Feeling called to pursue post-graduate work, Sybil journeyed to Punjab to study ophthalmology. Several years later, she returned to CMC in Vellore – now with her young son, Vineet – to learn the surgical skills needed to become the best possible eye doctor. In London, she completed a course in Community Eye Health at the Institute of Ophthalmology and followed that with a Masters in Science. The years of living in a large, unfamiliar city with a young son were the most challenging. But by God’s grace, she was awarded an A+ for her studies and was ready to return to India.
When her parents fell ill within six months of each other, Sybil cared for them and felt burdened to continue the work they had given their lives to in Bidar. In January 2002, Velemegna was on the verge of shutting down. Christy’s and Sushila’s children had to decide what to do with the hospital. Sybil felt in her heart that carrying on their parents’ work was what she should do, even though her siblings were pursuing callings elsewhere. In July, 2002, her father passed away, and with her mother too ill to take on the responsibilities of the hospital, Sybil was made director of Velemegna. Soon, her mother also passed away.
At first, Sybil felt drawn to carry on her parents’ dream. In time, their dreams for Velemegna became her dreams, to be added on, expanded and improved. Today, despite major battles that must be waged on an almost daily basis, God has always helped her to see the silver lining around every dark cloud. She has earned the undying affection of literally thousands of people – from little children to the very elderly – whom she has helped to see, or whose vision she has improved, or saved, through her surgical skills. Encouraged by her family, supported by highly-trained and dedicated nurses and other medical specialists, Sybil has raised Velemegna to the highest standards of care in India and been recognized for her service and achievements in her native land and abroad.
She looks forward to welcoming her son, Vineet, as the future medical superintendent of Velemegna Eye Hospital. With the indispensable help of a loving God, the work of Velemegna will continue and grow for years to come.
Khushi her daughter is pursuing here studies in Bio Medical Engineering
General Board Members Profile
1. Dr. (Prof) Edwin Stephen
Senior consultant Vascular and Endovascular surgeon, Vascular surgery unit, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman.
2. Dr. Sybil Meshramkar
MBBS.M.Sc.CEH (London), DOMS(Vellore), ophthalmology Surgeon (Eye Specialist), Senior Eye Surgeon in Velemegna Eye Hospital, Golekhana Bidar Karnataka.
3. Dr. Swarthick E Salins
Ph D in health Geography, Bethany Christian Trust, Pioneer Outreach worker, U K.
4. Mr. Praveen Arulkumar
BE (Electronics); MMS (Finance), Pricing Analyst at Gainwell Technologies, (Surya Wave, Electronic City, Bengaluru.
5. Dr. Serina Ruth Stephen
MBBS, DA, DNB(Anaesthesia), Professor, Department of Anaesthesia, CMC, Vellore 632004, TN, India.
6. Sundeep Micheal Salins
Architect – BSc Arch and BArch (Hons). Deep Architecture Ltd, Business owner – coffee shops
7. Miss. Katherine Pearson
B.Sc, M.Sc, Retired professor, 4, Artllery Road, Ulsoor, Bangalore-56008
8. Mrs. Dayamani Rajappa
B.A, B Ed.M. A M. Diu Ph D, Retired Lecturer from NHS, Bidar.
9. N Rajendra prasad
Ph.D, Founder/Executive Director of an NGO Peoples Action for Development (PAD).
10. Akilan Arunkumar. A
M.Phil in Hospital and Health Systems Management, Masters in Health Services Management, Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications, Master of Science (Physics), Administrator –Operations & Quality coordinator, Joseph Eye Hospital, Tiruchirapalli.
11. Dr. Sunita Baskar Abraham
Doctor, MBBS.MD (Public Health and Community Medicine), Head, community Health Programs, Christian Medical Association of India, Bangalore.
12. Mr. Philemon Raj Prasad
B.Ed. M.A, Administrator