Q1) What should be the objectives for Aravind eye care system and what impact

does it have on rural markets?

Aravind eye care was set up with the aim to eliminate needless blindness by
providing quality service at reasonable prices for all. To achieve that
Objectives:
In a developing country with competing demands on limited resources government
alone can meet the needs of all the poor. Hence a sustainable alternative eye care
system has to be set up to supplement the government’s efforts.
According to the government’s policy, Aravind should also target a major role in
reducing the prevalence of blindness from 1-1.08% to 0.8% in the entire nation.
That should include continuous expansion and setting up of camps in tribal areas
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Increase the national cataract surgical rate to match those in developed states.

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It also aims at using innovation to explore newer approaches to deepen the reach

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into the market.

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Market Driving (Reaching the unreached)

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Removing barriers for eye care
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Community Participation
Implications:
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A system which is:

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Easily reachable
Efficient
Gives value
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Affordable
It also creates access and grows the rural market overall as more people will come
for eye testing than before.
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To target tribal areas which are more remote and inaccessible they should look at
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setting up of more MRU’S. Also the frequency of eye camps should be increased to
increase the surgical rate especially in the states that do not have a robust eye care
system in place.
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Q2)
The reasons for poor acceptance by rural poor
One of the factors causing poor acceptance is the lack of awareness among rural
population that many cases of blindness are curable. Fear of surgery and cost are
the other major barriers to acceptance by these consumers. Also the costs involved

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 in treatment was a major hindrance .As a part of the community outreach program,
many patients were referred to base hospitals for further medical intervention and
surgery. The poor rural could not afford the costs of wage loss, transportation, food
and shelter. Also since they were new to the town, they did have any guidance
regarding the location and transportation. In case of eye camps, gender and
distance played a major role. Men were more likely to attend the camps than
women and also people living more than 3kms away from the camp were less likely
to attend the camps than those living near to it. Fear(principally of eye damage),
cost, family responsibilities, old age(that treatment in old age is not worthwhile),a
belief in not interfering with God’s will and an attitude of being able to cope with low
or no vision were also important factors for the low percentage (6.8%) of people
showing up at eye camps. Overall the low priority given to eye-care, fear and lack of
awareness were the key reasons.
Q3)
Improving customer acceptance:

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Aravind eye care services are preferred not only because of the low cost but also

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because of the upgraded services not available with private practitioners. The

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patient is offered a wide range of services at different price levels from which he

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can make a choice. The reference from ophthalmologists and physicians also add to
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the demand .Strong word of mouth is an important factor in bringing in patients who
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can play and this influence brings close to 70% of patients who are willing to pay.
Quality, transparency of charges and service orientation are important factors why
people prefer Aravind eye care systems.
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To create awareness about the importance and need of eye care, a community
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outreach system can be quite effective. The community outreach program created
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awareness of the importance and need for eye care. It educated the population on
the causes of blindness and the use of eye care services to restore most people's
vision. The methods used in the outreach program included distribution of handbills
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and posters; the posting of notices on publicity boards on street corners, shop
hoardings and bus stops; loudspeaker announcements, announcements on cable
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TV; and referrals through local doctors, teachers, other NGOs and village leaders.
Eye camps were an effective way to take eye care closer to the rural population.
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Also intervention strategies to increase awareness can be used. The four options
are:
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Visit by a former patient who has successfully undergone an eye surgery


Visit by basic healthcare workers

Screening camps and distribution of handbills having information about the

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dates of next camp etc.

 Healthcare workers increase awareness through loudspeakers at village
squares and markets.
Economic incentives include:
 Partial incentive: free surgery and free eyeglasses

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  Full incentive: In addition to free surgery and eyeglasses, free transportation
and meals at hospitals
Of all the incentives, the visits by former patients were found to be most effective.
Hence they might be utilized in a better way by having them speak in public
gatherings like village festivals and gram panchayats. Also they can be used in local
advertisements so that people can connect with them better.

To reduce the cost of travelling and to avoid the inconveniences of travelling to new
locations for eye testing, Mobile Refraction Units (MRU’s) should be used.

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Q4) Methods to improve acceptance of eye care services among rural population.

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Since visits by former patients was found to be the most effective alternative

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intervention strategy, they could be used for generating awareness among the rural

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population. A series of pamphlets using visual cues could be created especially for
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the illiterate segment. They can be then distributed to the people to understand
simple cures for eye problems.
Since the turnout ratio for women was less than that of men, Aravind can tie up or
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set up Self Help Groups (SHG’s) where women try to make a living together. They
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can be educated how with the help of healthy eyes they can use stitching,
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embroidery work and knitting to supplement their income. This can incentivize
women to visit eye care camps.
Raising awareness among the sections whose daily jobs require extensive use of
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eyes. That include jewelry making, diamond cutting and watch repairing as major
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targets. A special task force can be created to raise awareness among them.
Some other methods can be:
Scale up Aurolabs and manufacture IOL’s an sell them to other hospitals
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Increase community outreach by partnering with more NGO’s

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Increase the fees on paid services to cover a larger base of free service hospital
Generate an eye bank for more visibility
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Use donations land and make it a central part of cash flow to ensure self-
sustainability
Hiring of paramedics on ability and local outreach.

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