More than $50,000 raised in NJ gala for rural hospital in Madhya Pradesh

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On Sunday, November 13, 2022, a benefit gala was held for the Shiv Gyan Moti Lal (SGML) Hospital near Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, India, at a gala held in New Jersey.

More than 300 people from various states in the U.S. attended the gala dinner hosted by the non-profit SGML Hospital USA, Inc. The non-profit seeks to build excellent and equitable eye care systems that are easily adaptable and within th

e reach of needy, underserved and underprivileged individuals in rural India, a press release from the organization said.

More than $50,000 were raised during this Gala evening, the press release said, and all proceeds will go toward the benefit of the eye hospital with modern technology and equipment.

The gala included entertainment by well-known dance groups and singers Mahesh Mehta and Rekha Raval and their musicians performed Bollywood songs.

The SGML Eye Hospital Associate Trust members Gita Amin and Dr. Supen Patel of South Carolina, Ramesh Patel of California, and Associate Trust members of New Jersey Dr. Sparshil Patel, Smita (Miki) Patel, Usha Patel, Jatin Patel, Chhaya Patel, Arpita Patel and Dharmesh Patel were introduced and recognized by the President Dr. Tushar B. Patel.

The new building in Hasampura, Ujjain district in Madhya Pradesh, will be inaugurated India in January 2023 and start providing eye care services for the most common eye disorders to include cataract and provide other surgeries to prevent long term complications and blindness in underserved population in India.

Dr. Patel said there are 25,000 individuals who are completely blind and more than 800,000 who are partially blind in Ujjain district.  Wait times for surgeries run to six months or more.

The cost for 520 cataract surgeries for the entire month runs to approximately $21,000.  One surgery costs approximately $50, and one day of 20 surgeries costs approximately $750, according to Tushar Patel.

Fundraising is an ongoing effort organizers said, and information on the project can be found at www.ujjaineye.com.