Dr. G. Venkataswamy

In 1976 …Dr.V, feeling the urgent need, started an eye clinic with 11 beds, to create an alternate, sustainable eye care system to supplement the government’s efforts

Genesis

Began here- as an 11 bedded clinic in 1976

Small team with a big mission

Money

Tamil Nadu

Pondicherry (2003)

Coimbatore (1997)

Theni (1984)

Madurai (1978)Tirunelveli (1988)

Aravind Eye Hospitals (4000 Beds)

Amethi (UP) - 2005

Kolkatta (WB) - 2001

Core Principles in delivering health care

Giving ValueGiving ValueFinancial

Sustainability

Financial

Sustainability

Efficient Service

Efficient Service

Reaching the People

Reaching the People

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PATIENTCENTRED CARE

PATIENTCENTRED CARE

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Vision Centre (Primary Eye Care)

Covers a

population of

50,000

Staffed by

Ophthalmic

technicians

Active case finding

at community level

Linked to Base

Hospital

Low Cost Wi-Fi 802.11b Connectivity (open spectrum)

Unidirectional antenna

Line of Sight 4 MBPS Up to 75 KM

Collaboration with Univ. of Berkeley (PhD students)

Wireless connectivity @

4mbps

Marratech Software for tele-conferencing

collaboration

Examination by Vision Centre Technician

Each patient examined at the Vision Centre is discussed with the Ophthalmologist through videoconferencing

Consultation with Ophthalmologist at Aravind

Eye Hospital

Primary Eye Care IT Enabled Centers – 30 in Tamilnadu

Impact Dramatic Reductions in cost Access to good eye care Increased coverageScalability: Currently 12 – will become 26 by year

end Replicated in

Baramati, Maharashtra (Intel) Tripura (Govt. of Tripura & India) – will be

scaling it up to 60 locations

Patient Statistics 2007 - 08

Paying Free Total

Out Patient visits

1,321,317(55%)

1,074,783(45%)

2,396,100

Surgery 122,900 (43%)

162,845(57%)

285,745

Cataract Surgery: 70% is free

Volume Handled Per Day

6000 Outpatients in hospitals 4-5 outreach screening eye camps

Examining 1500 people Transporting 300 patients to the hospital for

surgery

850 – 1000 surgeries Classes for 100 Residents/Fellows & 300

technicians and administratorsMaking Aravind the largest provider of

eye care services and trainer of ophthalmic personnel in the

world

ProductivityProductivity

Ensuring Efficiency & Quality

Practices Clinical Protocols Standardization of procedures Usage & Balancing of Resources Surgical Techniques & Technology Quality & reliability of resources Medical records Staff Training & Discipline

Resource Balancing

Quantum & Quality of resources Balance between resources Appropriate use reduces cost Maintaining the resource quality (skill) -

at the required level Eliminate non-productive activities &

waiting time

Comparison of surgeon productivity

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

Bar 1

Bar 2

State-of-art technologies in surgery

Less energy required for doctor

Greater safety Ease of use

Planning for Expected load & Monitoring

Yearly/Monthly Planning Planning for the next day –scheduling

patient, staff & equipment Planning for supplies & spares Ensuring that resources match expected

workload Expected Patient load Weekly report Monthly report

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Quality – always current

Early adoption of relevant technologies

Skills & Perspectives upgraded through international visits and exchanges

QualityQuality

Exchange of Residents with the leading US institutions

Continuous improvements based on patient & employee feedback

Giving value

Using emerging technologies to reduce the response time to patient complaints

Quality Assurance process

Gathering evidence

Regular review & follow-up on decisions

Use of Wi-Fi PDA’s by Housekeeping staff

Teaching & TrainingOphthalmologistsTechnicians Administrators

Affiliations: MCI, NBE, RCO-UK, JACHPO-USA,

MGR Medical & MKU Universities

Mission & Objectives Produce quality products Provide at affordable cost Support avoidable

blindness effort Self sustain and grow

Turning apparent disadvantages into

realized opportunities

•In eighties all surgical consumables were imported & expensive

•Aurolab was started in 1992 to produce intraocular lenses (IOLs)

Backward Integration

Intraocular Lens Division

Pharmaceutical Division

Suture Division Blades Division

InstrumentsDivision

Making Eye Care Affordable

Exported to 120 countries

Impact: Price of IOL came down from $ 80 to $ 4 making cataract surgery affordable

• ISO 9001/CE Mark/US FDA approval

• 7% of global market share in IOL

• 5 million people see the world through Aurolab implants

• Patents

Aravind Medical Research Foundation

Community based

Genetics

Microbiology

Epidemiological surveys

Clinical trials

Aravind Eye Care System

Eye Bank

Hospitals

Aurolab

Out Reach

Research

“Aravind Eye Care System”

LAICO

IT

Training

“Intelligence & Capabilities are not enough. There must be the joy of doing something beautiful..”

Dr.V