Dr. Ghanta Madhavi exemplifies service to country through ophthalmology

Issue: November 2009

Ghanta Madhavi

After completing her premedical education, Ghanta Madhavi, MD, could not decide if she should pursue engineering or medicine.

“I had to take an entrance test either to go for engineering or medical school. I got good ranks in both. I was interested in going for engineering, looking at all my friends who were opting to settle down early in life and earn money,” she said.

Her family helped steer her in the right direction by suggesting that an education should be used to help others, particularly in her native country.

“My father used to tell me in that way, ‘you will enjoy your profession because you will be seeing a lot of diseased people and you can help them. Your country is spending a lot of money to make you a doctor, and I want you to contribute something to your country after you become a specialist in medicine.’

“My parents used to guide me in all possible ways and they sacrificed so much to make me a good doctor,” Dr. Madhavi said. “Those words changed my whole life.”

Union of love and medicine

Dr. Madhavi received her medical degree from Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada, India, in 1993, and in 1998 received her Diplomate of National Board at the Aravind Eye Hospital and Post Graduate Institute of Ophthalmology in Tirunelveli, India.

In her final year of medical school, Dr. Madhavi was approached about a position with Mr. Madhu Kutumbaka, an administrator at the Srikiran Institute of Ophthalmology in Kakinada.

“They came and asked my parents, and explained about the hospital, that it is a nonprofit organization and was established to help poor people,” she told Ocular Surgery News. “By that time, all my classmates and good friends were getting married to men who settled in the U.S. and were making plans to go to the U.S.”

Dr. Madhavi’s parents believed that she should not move to another country before contributing something to her native country. And although Dr. Madhavi agreed to stay behind because she enjoyed her work, it was not just ophthalmology that she fell in love with.

“My father said, ‘If you marry a man who serves mankind, not only will you excel in your profession, but your marriage will be a successful marriage.’

“I liked that idea and married ophthalmology and my husband [Mr. Madhu Kutumbaka] together.”

The Goutami Eye Institute

Dr. Madhavi worked as a senior consultant at Srikiran Institute of Ophthalmology from 1998 to 2005. Soon after, she helped found the Goutami Eye Institute in Rajahmundry, a nonprofit medical center dedicated to service, teaching and research. She specializes in glaucoma and pediatric ophthalmology and squint surgeries. She also specializes in cataract surgery and IOL implantation, and has performed nearly 50,000 cataract surgeries to date. She has also operated on nearly 1,000 children.

She has trained 30 ophthalmologists in cataract surgery and IOL implantation and developed a course on manual small-incision cataract surgery. She has also developed a simple microincision cataract surgery procedure, featured in a video on the OSN Web site, that has been critically well-received in the field.

As medical director of the institute, Dr. Madhavi develops training curricula and protocols for medical and surgical interventions and research. The institute develops school health programs and urban outreach programs and specializes in the prevention of childhood blindness. Recently, the institute launched a complete retina unit, Dr. Madhavi said.

To encourage young ophthalmologists, the institute offers long-term fellowships for young post-graduates and short-term fellowships for practicing ophthalmologists, as well as periodic continuing medical education programs, featuring eminent national and international faculty.

Dr. Madhavi would prefer more young ophthalmologists to follow her lead and stay close to home to practice.

“To take care of eye problems, we need those young ophthalmologists to be enthusiastic and deliver dedicated ophthalmic services to help mankind. That is a challenge in India because we need more ophthalmologists,” she said.

Outreach efforts

The outreach program at the Goutami Eye Institute has changed over the years. The institute serves a rural area, providing eye care for those who might not receive it otherwise. Dr. Madhavi said it has become difficult to find dedicated ophthalmologists to perform this critical function, so she now relies on technicians to perform basic screening.

“Previously we had one ophthalmologist to go for outreach programs and bring in people with eye problems to the base hospital and operate on them,” she said. “Since it is becoming very difficult to get dedicated ophthalmologists, we changed our strategy and now we train our vision technicians to screen for eye problems in outreach programs. They will identify people who need eye surgeries and bring them to the base hospital.”

Patients are examined once again and confirmation is made at that time if surgery is necessary.

The institute collaborates with the government of Andhra Pradesh for reimbursement of various ophthalmological surgeries.

“Fortunately pediatric ophthalmology is included in that; we really enjoy that project and e-train a lot of teachers to examine the children at schools,” Dr. Madhavi said. “We give them information about basic eye care and how to prevent blindness in children. We give them a kit that contains the equipment to perform basic examinations. We get a lot of referrals that way and are trying to establish a very good tertiary eye care center.”

Ophthalmology in India has changed a lot over the last decade, Dr. Madhavi said. The quality of eye care has improved, she said, and facilities such as Goutami, which are based in rural areas, can reach more people who need care.

“I get a lot of trainees from other countries like China, Afghanistan, Egypt and Denmark,” she said, noting that India has eye care centers that she believes will emerge as good training centers for foreign students. “And we keep coming to countries like the U.S. and keep updating ourselves and always learn, and we keep remembering that perfection is a moving target.”

Sources of inspiration

Dr. Madhavi credits the Aravind Eye Care System, where she was a resident for 3 years, for providing a strong foundation in ophthalmology.

Her mentors include V.K. Raju, MD, FRCS, FACS, who has worked extensively to prevent blindness in India since the 1970s, she said.

“He is my mentor not only in ophthalmology but a lot in life. He has totally changed my attitude toward life and how we can make our life happy by ourselves and enjoy each day,” she said.

Through the Orbis telemedicine program, she worked closely with Eugene Helveston, MD, professor emeritus at the Indiana University School of Medicine, who inspired her interest in pediatric ophthalmology. She also values the friendship and guidance of Linda Lawrence, MD, and Kjell Dahlen, MD, who practice in the U.S.

Dr. Madhavi also credits her husband as one of her guiding lights.

“He used to tell me that we have a mission in life, not just earning money. He has been a great influence in my life about how to help others and prevent blindness,” she said.

Although her dedication to serving her country as an ophthalmologist is apparent, her love of the field is also highly personal.

“I enjoy ophthalmology because my operating room is the best place in the world for me to live,” Dr. Madhavi said. “While operating, I forget everything and just focus into the microscope and enjoy each surgery as a unique opportunity for me to contribute something to my country, my people and the children on whom I operated for many problems.” — by Carey Cowles

Ghanta Madhavi, MD, can be reached at Goutami Eye Institute, Plot No. 1, R.V. Nagar, Korukonda Road, Rajahmundry 533105 Andhra Pradesh, India; +91-883-2443441; fax: +91-883-2443449; e-mail: info@goutami.org or madhavi.ghanta@goutami.org.