HYDERABAD: The Countess of Wessex, Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones, a member of the Bristish royal family, visited Gandhi Hospital on Monday. The Countess visited the hospital to inspect the care and treatment being administered to the premature new-borns who suffer from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). She is on a visit to India to see the functioning of programmes supported by Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust.The Countess, who is also the Vice-Patron of the Diamond Jubilee Trust, interacted with parents of the babies who have been diagnosed with the same.
It is under the patronage of the Diamond Jubilee Trust that Gandhi Hospital has been treating ROP, a disease that can potentially cause blindness in premature babies, due to retinal changes during early birth.
The trust provides assistance with high-end equipment and skill-based training to the doctors in Gandhi Hospital, Dr Shravan, superintendent of Gandhi Hospital said.
However, the trust’s patronage is limited only till 2020. “While the hospital can keep the equipment, the training of doctors will not be carried out once the trust shuts down, nor will we be equipped with new machinery,” he said.