Affordable eye care: Feasibility of Pan-India implementation of existing business models

Abstract

The study mainly focuses on the four subsystems of Aravind Eye Care System (AECS) which can help expand the reach of the reach of eye care services to all the areas of the country. They are - community outreach (eye camp), Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology (LAICO), Vision Centres (VCs) and Aravind Managed Eye Hospitals (AMEH) with a major focus on LAICO. In eye camp study, major emphasis is given to bring out all-stakeholders’ perspective by implementation of unique model of AECS and how it is a win-win scenario for all the stakeholders viz. the sponsor of eye camp, community involved, eye patients and AECS. The study on LAICO focuses on its functioning. The functional aspects cover its various services, finances, human resources, recruitment process and relationship with collaborating agencies. The project then explains in detail its capacity building programme, unfolding the ecosystem of stakeholders and how each stakeholder viz. donor agencies, their partner hospitals or private hospitals and LAICO itself, benefits from the programme. The study also describes the clinical and non-clinical training programmes conducted by LAICO and its policy advocacy for governments. Model of vision centre is being promoted globally and AECS has implemented the model successfully in Tamil Nadu. The project elucidates the VC model which provides comprehensive eye care by integrating information technology (IT) in the rural areas. It also critically examines the way in which AECS is involved in AMEHs and the reasons for reluctance of AECS to propagate the model. The project then talks about various challenges and constraints faced by LAICO in the current scenario, one of the major challenges being how to increase awareness about LAICO’s services, based on discussions with one of the LAICO faculty members. The project then recommends plethora of initiatives which LAICO can take to increase the demand for its services and to engage its stakeholders on a proactive basis. The project then concludes with the findings that eye camp and vision centre model of AECS should be followed on pan-India basis, AMEH model should be followed judiciously and while LAICO services immensely benefit the stakeholders and help them expand their reach, there is an enormous scope for LAICO to expand its work.