• Fifth Academy under the Bank’s ‘Seeing is Believing’ Programme
• Focus on strengthening Rural Eye Health and Women’s Empowerment

18 November 2025, (Vrindavan) India: In a landmark step towards advancing rural eye health, Standard Chartered and Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital (SCEH), under the Bank’s flagship initiative ‘Seeing is Believing’, today inaugurated the Standard Chartered–Shroff’s Eye Care Education Academy in Vrindavan, Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh. This new academy will expand access to quality eye care and provide education and livelihood opportunities in underserved rural communities.

The inauguration was graced by Shailaja Kant Misra, Vice Chairperson, Uttar Pradesh Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad, who attended as the Chief Guest, along with Dr. Umang Mathur, CEO, Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital and Karuna Bhatia, Head of Sustainability, India, Standard Chartered.

Since 2014, Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, with support from Standard Chartered, has provided comprehensive eye care services across Mathura through a state-of-the-art eye care centre in Vrindavan and a network of vision centres and community outreach programmes. Over the last decade, over 65,000 sight-restoring surgeries have been performed, and 17 lakh beneficiaries have been reached.

Advancing Eye Health and Skilling

The Vrindavan academy represents the second phase of the partnership, following the successful rollout of the first Standard Chartered–Shroff’s Eye Care Education Academy in Delhi. It will follow a hub-and-spoke model, and will provide localised, skill-based training in eye care for ophthalmologists and paramedics, with the Delhi facility as the hub for curriculum development, mentoring, and technical support.

India faces a critical shortage of trained ophthalmic professionals, and common causes of preventable blindness remain prevalent in rural areas, where access to specialised care is limited. The Vrindavan academy directly addresses this through capacity building, employment generation, and community-centric care delivery.

Over the next three years, this Vrindavan academy will train over 12,000 youth in diverse eye care fields. Key deliverables include training 70 ophthalmologists, 600 mid-career ophthalmologists, and 500 allied ophthalmic paramedics, with employment opportunities post training for over 70% of the trainees – 50% of which are going to be women. About 11,000 trainees will receive benefit from short-term courses and digital learning platform aiming to enhance their skills and delivery of eye care services to the community.

All programmes are accredited by the National Council of Vocational and Research Training (NCVRT), ensuring adherence to national standards in vocational healthcare education. Standard Chartered Shroff’s Eye Care Education Academy at Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital has also received Advanced Level Accreditation by the Ophthalmology Foundation for the International Ophthalmology Residency Training Programme, underscoring the international quality, credibility, and professional rigor of the courses being offered at the academy.

Karuna Bhatia, Head of Sustainability, India, Standard Chartered, said, “The Delhi academy has proven that skill-building in eye care can be a powerful tool for both public health and social empowerment. With the launch of this academy in Vrindavan, we are taking this impact deeper into rural India, enabling young women to build careers while improving eye health access in their communities. This is therefore a more holistic approach to a healthcare issue.”

Dr. Umang Mathur, CEO, Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, added, “This expansion is a testament to our vision of creating a skilled, compassionate, and locally rooted eye care workforce. The support from Standard Chartered has been pivotal in scaling our efforts and bringing quality care closer to the last mile.”

The Bank’s Seeing is Believing programme has completed 22 years and operates across 21 states and two Union Territories. It has grown into one of the country’s most impactful eye health interventions, transforming millions of lives and building an ecosystem of care. So far, under this initiative, the Bank has screened over one crore patients while almost 38 lakh needy individuals have received appropriate surgical interventions.

— ENDS —

About Standard Chartered: Standard Chartered has been operating in India with a continuous presence of over 165 years making it one of the oldest foreign banks in the country. The Bank has a network of 100 branches across 42 cities. Key business segments include Corporate and Investment Banking and Wealth and Retail Banking. For more information, visit https://www.sc.com/in/

Globally, we are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 54 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.

Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges. For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

About Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital (SCEH): Founded in 1922 by visionary ophthalmologist Dr. Sorabji P. Shroff, SCEH has stood for a hundred years as a beacon of sight, service, and science. From a modest clinic for the underprivileged, it has evolved into one of India’s leading institutions for eye care, training, and research. Guided by the principle of “Equity with Excellence,” SCEH serves over 2.7 million people annually through its tertiary hospital in Delhi, nine secondary centres, and 111 Vision Centres across North India. Its pyramidal model ensures comprehensive eye care – from community screening to advanced surgeries – reaching even the most remote communities.

SCEH is also a national hub for capacity building, training hundreds of ophthalmologists and allied professionals each year. With ongoing investment in tele-ophthalmology, technology, and research, the hospital continues to advance access and quality. Supported by dedicated doctors, partners, and donors, SCEH’s impact spans generations and geographies. Under its Vision 2030: SCEH 2.0 roadmap, the institution aims to expand to 150 Vision Centres and double surgical capacity.

For a century, SCEH has upheld the belief that ‘sight is not a privilege, but a right’, transforming lives through compassion and excellence.

For further information please contact: