Countess of Wessex calls on CS Joshi

Hyderabad: Sophie Helen, daughter-in-law of Queen Elizabeth-II, met Chief Secretary Dr S K Joshi in Secretariat on Tuesday.

According to sources, it was a courtesy call by the member of the British Royal Family. She is understood to have appreciated the work being done in the State-run Gandhi and Niloufer hospitals.

It may be recalled that Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, visited Gandhi, Niloufer and LV Prasad Eye hospital in the city, in the last two days, to see the impact of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) programme that protects infants from going blind.

The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust has been supporting the ROP programme for the States of Telangana and Odisha, in close collaboration with the Governments of Telangana and Odisha, for the past five years.

Sophie Helen interacted with doctors and patients in these three hospitals and also inspected the various facilities at the hospitals.