Narayana Netralaya chairman Dr. Bhujang Shetty passes away

 

Noted ophthalmologist K. Bhujang Shetty, 69, passed away in the city on Friday evening. He suffered a massive cardiac arrest on Friday evening and passed away at a private hospital in Yeshwanthpur, sources said. 

Dr. Bhujang Shetty was the Chairman of Narayana Netralaya, a super specialty eye hospital in Rajajinagar. He was a close relative of Dr. Devi Shetty, a noted cardiac surgeon and Founder of Narayana Health.  

Dr. Shetty is an alumnus of Bangalore Medical College where he did his undergraduate medical course in 1978 and did his ophthalmology residency in Minto Ophthalmic Hospital in 1982, following which he started his practice at a small clinic in the 1980s to grow it into Narayana Netralaya, a premiere super specialty eye hospital of the State. 

He also was an evangelist for eye donation in the State. He was successful in roping in Kannada matinee idol Dr. Rajkumar for the cause in 1994 and started Dr. Rajkumar Eye Bank, following a pledge by the cine star to donate his eyes after his death. The eye bank has been successful in providing vision for thousands of people. The family donated the eyes of both Dr. Rajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar after their deaths to the eye bank. 

Chief Minister designate Siddaramaiah tweeted his condolences and said: “He had helped lakhs of people gain vision and was light to their families”. KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar called him “one of the best doctors of the State” and said he had a long-term vision and pro-actively created awareness about health among people.