Karuna Bhatia, Head of Sustainability, India, Standard Chartered, has spent years leading the Bank’s community impact work in eye health, and the Bank’s projects in the Mathura district reflect the Bank’s commitment to tackle avoidable blindness through creating local employment opportunities in the ophthalmic field, especially for women. The work isn’t flashy: training young women who’ve never stepped out of their villages, helping hospitals fix gaps in their own systems, and taking eye care to people. In this interview, she talks about why Vrindavan made sense, what’s changing on the ground, and how these girls are finding their feet in the process.
 
Phase 1 happened in Delhi. What made you choose Vrindavan for the next phase?
Vrindavan was the natural next step. We had already been working there for a decade. The work began when a private banking client—who ran a TB sanatorium hospital—approached us in London and said the hospital needed an eye-care wing. That led to a three-way partnership: the bank funded the project, the client provided the premises, and Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital brought the technical expertise.

The partnership continued for about four and a half years. As the eye centre stabilised, we saw a sharp increase in footfall from poorer communities. People were finally accessing quality care, and referrals grew. It became clear the region needed far more support.
 
What did this early phase reveal about the needs in Mathura and Vrindavan?
We realised there was a need for a high-quality eye-care facility in Mathura. Once the Shroff team entered the picture, demand exploded. After strengthening the first centre in Mathura, we set a goal: to eliminate avoidable blindness across Mathura. That became the second major project, and we have been making very good progress. Door-to-door screening of every household and eye care service provision were ensured for identified patients in 150 villages. 
 
Why house-to-house screening instead of waiting for patients to visit centres?
Because many don’t come on their own. Screening teams go door to door to identify who needs cataract surgery or glasses. We follow up through coordinators, and if a patient still doesn’t report to the centre, optometrists visit their homes. Awareness itself is an important outcome; people learn what to watch for and where care is available.
 
How did Vrindavan become linked to employment opportunities for rural women?
After building a strong clinical base, the next gap was manpower. The Delhi Phase-1 academy had shown that rural youth, especially women, could be trained effectively. As eye care faces a shortage of skilled workers, training women locally offers a practical solution. A Class 12 pass woman can be trained, placed, and employed within her own district. For rural families, this is a transformative and highly enriching experience.
 
What makes this training model different?
This is our fifth eye care academy, and the focus is on creating women vision technicians who run the centres end-to-end. They manage operations, patient numbers, spectacle sales and basic financial sustainability. After three years, the bank steps back. These are not self-help groups and do not involve lending. The aim is to build centres that run independently as part of the hospital’s larger system.
 
How sustainable is the model?
Across India, 651 vision centres have been set up over the last two decades. More than 85% remain sustainable long after funding ends. They act as feeder points for hospitals and survive because of strong cross-subsidy systems—spectacle revenue, subsidised surgeries and effective accounting. If a partner cannot commit to sustainability, we don’t fund them.
 
You mentioned Covid shaped many learnings. What were the biggest ones?
COVID forced the entire ecosystem to rethink delivery. Camps were shut, but centres stayed open as primary access points. Door-to-door screening became safer than gathering patients in camps. Hospitals adopted teleconsultation overnight. Most importantly, we realised training didn’t need to be centralised in Delhi. That insight eventually led to building a training academy inside Vrindavan itself.
 
How does the new training model work?
It’s a blended model. Live online classes happen every morning with Delhi faculty, while hands-on training is done locally. The curriculum covers technical skills, English basics, computer literacy, life skills and POSH compliance. All candidates must have passed Class 12, any stream.
 
Who are the students, and how are they selected?
The focus is on young women from underserved rural communities. We meet their parents and ensure they’re comfortable sending their daughters. Reading and writing skills are checked, not English fluency, but enough to follow prescriptions.

Recruitment is hyper-local. If there’s a vision centre in a block, the trainee is chosen from the same block. Daily travel of 40–50 km is unrealistic for most rural families.
 
Beyond technicians, are there opportunities for higher-level roles?
Yes. Women are being supported to pursue bachelor’s degrees in optometry through a four-year course. In Bihar, we’ve created an institutional tie-up for this. A full optometrist can earn close to a lakh. This field has huge unmet demand, and women are stepping directly into respected, well-paid roles.
 
What about training for doctors?
Our academy functions as a finishing school for young doctors. We have wet labs, simulators and structured training. Hundreds come annually for short-term and long-term programmes. 

About 20% of our faculty’s time is dedicated solely to training. The impact is national: trainees come from Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and beyond.

How does the programme ensure long-term careers for women?
Employment rates are around 89–90%. Women who relocate after marriage are placed in partner centres closest to their new homes. Many have already become supervisors and trainers. One trainer now teaches retinal imaging on advanced AI-enabled cameras. The idea is to build a clear career ladder, because they deserve growth, not just an entry-level job.
 
What role does government support play?
Cataract surgery is free. Under Ayushman Bharat, anyone eligible receives free treatment. If a patient chooses a premium option, that’s separate, but no one is denied surgery. With recent upgrades, the Vrindavan hospital now offers glaucoma and retina care as well. Door-to-door teams can therefore identify and refer not just cataract patients but those with complex conditions too.