Arvind Eye Care
Executive Summary:
Aravind Eye Hospital was founded by Dr. Venkataswamy in 1976 who wanted to establish an alternate health care model that would supplement the efforts of the Government in fighting the blindness in India.
The motivation behind Dr V to start this organisation was to eradicate needless blindness which he knew could not be achieved within the paradigm of a charitable organisation. Thus he set about his mission to mass market eye care like McDonalds or Pizza Hut. To do this Dr V developed an innovative business model where a small portion of the customers subsidize the majority.
An integral part of Aravind’s services to combat blindness is its community outreach program: free eye camps. These screening camps, conducted every day, provide basic eye care services to distant rural populations, followed by necessary treatment or surgery at either the camp or base hospital. Teams of doctors work closely with community leaders and service providers to organize camps and get the word out.
To take up the challenge of blindness, Aravind has recognised the need to develop human resources - ophthalmologists, paramedics, eye care managers and support service personnel. Several training programmes have been designed to develop ophthalmic manpower. Catering to all levels of ophthalmic teaching and training, these are intended not only for ophthalmologists but also for ophthalmic technicians, opticians, clinical assistants, outreach coordinators and health care managers. Apart from these, a six week training course in the maintenance of ophthalmic surgical instruments and other equipment for technicians is also offered. With less than 1% of the country 's ophthalmic manpower, Aravind accounts for 5% of the ophthalmic surgeries performed nationwide. 2,313,398 outpatient visits were handled and 270,444 surgeries were performed at the Aravind Eye Hospitals in 2006. Two-third of the outpatient visits and three-fourth of the surgeries were serviced to the
Aravind Eye Hospital was founded by Dr. Venkataswamy in 1976 who wanted to establish an alternate health care model that would supplement the efforts of the Government in fighting the blindness in India.
The motivation behind Dr V to start this organisation was to eradicate needless blindness which he knew could not be achieved within the paradigm of a charitable organisation. Thus he set about his mission to mass market eye care like McDonalds or Pizza Hut. To do this Dr V developed an innovative business model where a small portion of the customers subsidize the majority.
An integral part of Aravind’s services to combat blindness is its community outreach program: free eye camps. These screening camps, conducted every day, provide basic eye care services to distant rural populations, followed by necessary treatment or surgery at either the camp or base hospital. Teams of doctors work closely with community leaders and service providers to organize camps and get the word out.
To take up the challenge of blindness, Aravind has recognised the need to develop human resources - ophthalmologists, paramedics, eye care managers and support service personnel. Several training programmes have been designed to develop ophthalmic manpower. Catering to all levels of ophthalmic teaching and training, these are intended not only for ophthalmologists but also for ophthalmic technicians, opticians, clinical assistants, outreach coordinators and health care managers. Apart from these, a six week training course in the maintenance of ophthalmic surgical instruments and other equipment for technicians is also offered. With less than 1% of the country 's ophthalmic manpower, Aravind accounts for 5% of the ophthalmic surgeries performed nationwide. 2,313,398 outpatient visits were handled and 270,444 surgeries were performed at the Aravind Eye Hospitals in 2006. Two-third of the outpatient visits and three-fourth of the surgeries were serviced to the
References: 1.Bennis Warren, Nanus Burt, “Leaders: The Strategies of Taking Charge” Collins Business Essentials, 1985. 2. Chesbrough Henry and Rosenbloom Richard S., “The Role of the Business Model in Capturing Value from Innovation”, Harvard Business School, 1984.