• What we do
  • The People
  • About Us
  • Why Innovation Africa
  • Contact Us
Innovation AfricaCreating the Future Today
  • Feature Articles
  • Innovation
  • Agriculture
  • ICT
  • Technology
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health
  • Store
  • Contact Us
Menu
  • Feature Articles
  • Innovation
  • Agriculture
  • ICT
  • Technology
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Health
  • Store
  • Contact Us
  • Where Free, Profitable, Impact and Scale Intersect: Insights From the Story of Aravind

    November 19, 2011 Editor 0

    Where Free, Profitable, Impact and Scale Intersect: Insights From the Story of Aravind

    Authored by: Sadna Samaranayake


    In 1976 a retired South Indian ophthalmologist by the name of Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy, or Dr. V as he later came to be called, deeply motivated to serve his local community in Madurai, India, founded an eye clinic with 11 beds. Fast forward 35 years to present day and the organization he founded, known as the Aravind Eye Care System, is internationally renowned and synonymous with what success looks like for a BoP venture. With an ambitious and global mission of eliminating needless blindness, Aravind far outpaces public efforts to deliver eye care in the region, and is currently the world’s largest provider of eye care services, treating over 2.6 million out-patients and performing over 300,000 ophthalmic surgeries annually.

    The bulk of surgeries performed are for the extraction of cataracts, a treatable condition that is the cause of 60 percent of blindness in India. Not just a network of hospitals, Aravind is also a hub of innovation for eye care related technologies and ophthalmic products, and is a world recognized leader[1] in training and research in ophthalmology. If all of this emerging from an 11 bed clinic in a sleepy town in South India isn’t impressive enough, consider the following:  Aravind is a self-sustaining and profitable organization that treats most of its patients for free or at a deeply subsidized rate. And amazingly, Aravind was a post retirement project for Dr. V, who was 58 when he founded it.

    More to This Story Than Meets the Eye

    My fascination with the story of Aravind began as a graduate student studying BoP enterprises. In the time I spent with Aravind in Madurai, I observed a well-oiled operation, a veritable sight delivering machine with tentacles reaching far flung villages. Somewhere between the eye camp in rural Tamil Nadu pictured above, and the spotless operating theaters where sight is restored by the thousands, to both the rich and the destitute, my own eyes were opened to what was possible, with and for the poor.

    Profitable and free, massive in scale and deeply personal in its approach to serving its patients, if you think there has to be more to this story, you would be right. Thankfully, it’s a story well told, in a new book by Dr. V’s grandniece, Pavithra Mehta, who grew up with Aravind, and her collaborator Suchithra Shenoy. Visit the book’s website to learn more about the book, the authors, upcoming launch events and to read an excerpt.

     

    Go to Source

    Related Posts

    • Lessons from Public-Private Innovation Strategic Alliances for SMEsLessons from Public-Private Innovation Strategic Alliances for SMEs
    • Former Mak VC Prof Ssebuwufu appointed Chairperson UbuntuNet AllianceFormer Mak VC Prof Ssebuwufu appointed Chairperson UbuntuNet Alliance
    • Optimal pricing strategy of hotel for long-term stayOptimal pricing strategy of hotel for long-term stay
    • Transform 2013 by Turning Goals into Questions
    • Linking knowledge corridors to customer value through knowledge processesLinking knowledge corridors to customer value through knowledge processes
    • Strategies for the discovery and development of anti-diabetic drugs from the natural products of traditional medicines.
    Sovrn
    Share

    Categories: Next Billion

    Tags: aravind eye care system, madurai, ophthalmic

    Open Call for Submissions: What are the Greatest Challenges in Promoting Literacy with ICT? ICT must be used in improving the employability of youth

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

Subscribe to our stories


 

Recent Posts

  • Entrepreneurial Alertness, Innovation Modes, And Business Models in Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises December 30, 2021
  • The Strategic Role of Design in Driving Digital Innovation June 10, 2021
  • Correction to: Hybrid mosquitoes? Evidence from rural Tanzania on how local communities conceptualize and respond to modified mosquitoes as a tool for malaria control June 10, 2021
  • BRIEF FOCUS: Optimal spacing for groundnuts in smallholder farming systems June 9, 2021
  • COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa June 9, 2021

Categories

Archives

Popular Post-All time

  • A review on biomass-based... 1k views
  • Can blockchain disrupt ge... 764 views
  • Apply Now: $500,000 for Y... 760 views
  • Prize-winning projects pr... 717 views
  • Test Your Value Propositi... 706 views

Recent Posts

  • Entrepreneurial Alertness, Innovation Modes, And Business Models in Small- And Medium-Sized Enterprises
  • The Strategic Role of Design in Driving Digital Innovation
  • Correction to: Hybrid mosquitoes? Evidence from rural Tanzania on how local communities conceptualize and respond to modified mosquitoes as a tool for malaria control
  • BRIEF FOCUS: Optimal spacing for groundnuts in smallholder farming systems
  • COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa
  • Explicit knowledge networks and their relationship with productivity in SMEs
  • Intellectual property issues in artificial intelligence: specific reference to the service sector
  • Africa RISING publishes a livestock feed and forage production manual for Ethiopia
  • Transforming crop residues into a precious feed resource for small ruminants in northern Ghana
  • Photo report: West Africa project partners cap off 2020 with farmers field day events in Northern Ghana and Southern Mali

Tag Cloud

    africa African Agriculture Business Business model Business_Finance Company Crowdsourcing data Development East Africa economics Education Entrepreneur entrepreneurs Entrepreneurship ethiopia ghana Health_Medical_Pharma ict Information technology Innovation kenya knowledge Knowledge Management Leadership marketing mobile Mobile phone nigeria Open innovation Organization Research rwanda science Science and technology studies social enterprise social entrepreneurship south africa Strategic management strategy tanzania Technology Technology_Internet uganda

Categories

Archives

  • A review on biomass-based hydrogen production for renewable energy supply 1k views
  • Can blockchain disrupt gender inequality? 764 views
  • Apply Now: $500,000 for Your Big Data Innovations in Agriculture 760 views
  • Prize-winning projects promote healthier eating, smarter crop investments 717 views
  • Test Your Value Proposition: Supercharge Lean Startup and CustDev Principles 706 views

Copyright © 2005-2020 Innovation Africa Theme created by PWT. Powered by WordPress.org