Introduction
The Aravind Eye Care System is the leading ophthalmological hospital in India. It has numerous local and regional branches. Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy founded it in 1976. This paper examines the innovation process of the Aravind Eye Care System by providing an insight into its workability, transferability to other countries, and challenges that it encounters in the health sector.
Key Features of the Aravind Eye Care System
One of the key features of the Aravind Eye Care System is its untiring pursuit of its mission in an attempt to provide superior sight solutions to the impoverished population of Madurai. The organisation aims at getting rid of reversible blindness. The hospital provides medical services at affordable prices. In spite of such rates, the organisation meets the standards of other developed countries. The breakthrough of the Aravind Eye Care system can be attributed to various key elements namely technology access, human resources, volume, and management strategies.
Aravind’s Management System
Before its inception, Dr. V constantly looked forward to improving the quality and capacity of delivering eye care. The inspiration was drawn from several visits to the US. The idea of starting the organisation was conceived after studying how the McDonald’s fast-food chain provided inexpensive, quality, and reliable products through highly efficient systems that were replicated throughout the chain. Implementation of this operational structure resulted in expansion of eye care to low-income populations. A mixture of leadership abilities both at local and state levels has improved the management of the healthcare facility significantly. In addition, the hospital facility has been able to provide low-cost medical supplies. This situation has attracted many patients to buy its clinical services.
Community Outreach Programs boost Volumes
The Aravind Eye Care System uses vibrant community outreach programs to influence patients, reduce costs, and realise profits. It uses eye-screening camps, which not only increase the volume but also patient education. It also promotes brand recognition. Partnerships with local organisations publicise the camps, which are maintained by designated clinical professionals. Mostly, the activities that take place in the camps include temporary eye-screening clinics among others. This strategy has been used to reach many customers who are unable to obtain services from the main hospital facilities. Community outreaches have also led to diversification of the client base since the organization serves many patients from different backgrounds.
Human Resource and Preparation
Another key factor that propelled the Aravind Eye Care System towards incredible success is its focus on workforce training. The goal of serving humanity underpins the culture of commitment in the organization. This situation has resulted in consistent improvement. Due to varying client needs, the organisation has ensured diversification of eye care services in an attempt to offer enduring solutions to sight problems. This strategy has been ensured through various trainings on eye disorders. The paramedical staff program replaced the notion of hiring registered nurses to improve competency.
Is the Aravind Eye Care System Transferrable to Other Countries or Contexts?
The organization’s care system is also convenient for other countries such as China and India. In the wake of technology and globalization, people have been exposed to many factors that lead to deterioration of eyesight. Therefore, there has been an increased need for the services of the Aravind Eye Care System. The healthcare systems of other countries should seek to integrate lessons from such organisations with a view of boosting quality, easy access, efficiency, and innovation capacity. Being a specialty care system, it is easy to standardise clinical processes. The organisation can also train a specialised paraprofessional workforce, pursue low cost technology, and build volume with dedicated community outreach and education. This model has already been applied in some countries. For instance, it has been used in the US to eradicate reversible hearing problems among the elderly people.
Future and Sustainability of the Healthcare Organization
Various factors underpin the success of the Aravind Eye Care System. At the outset, the organization is financially stable. This situation promotes its expansion in any dimension in an attempt to meet the demands of the clients. The supply of the organization’s eye care services has gone beyond the classy population to offer services to the underprivileged citizens who are unable to meet the high costs that are offered in similar healthcare settings. The organization adopts a self-sustainable model; hence, it does not depend on outsourced funding.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The urge to deliver superior eye care services has been the primary drive towards accomplishment of organizational goals. As a result, the hospital maintains highly specialised personnel to manage various eye diseases. The capacity of the Aravind Eye Care System to address numerous eye conditions lies within its specialty care model. The health institution recruits its employees from local populations. However, entrants are intensively trained to heighten specialisation. However, low population densities and literacy levels harden the process.
Suggested Models
The organization should integrate a four-level model into its current system. The approach includes various groups such as the care team, patient, family members, and the organization. The company should prioritise the involvement of the youth in its recruitment exercises. Such decisions boost the system’s knowledge base. It also minimises incidences of localised bias. The four-level model has been used in numerous healthcare facilities to improve care delivery.
Recommendations and Justification
Most patients face transportation challenges, especially in areas that are characterised by high terrains. In this case, the management of the eye care business should establish various means to reach individuals who live in isolated areas. This recommendation can be accomplished by establishing temporary clinics to ease accessibility of the eye clinics. Its competitive pricing strategy also attracts a good number of low-income patients. The community outreach programs are the most effective ways of reaching patients.
Rumours concerning eye diseases scare people from attending clinics. Many people believe that eye disorders such as cataracts cannot be cured. This state of affairs is a big challenge for the organisation. Therefore, the Aravind Eye Care System should create awareness of eye diseases to the public. The organization should also strive to fit in the patients’ environments regardless of their locations.
Conclusion
From the discussion, it is quite evident that the Aravind Eye Care System has propelled Dr.V’s dreams to overwhelming levels. This situation has set a pace for further innovative capabilities to correct reversible blindness. The Specialty Eye Care approach to alleviate needless blindness has been emulated by other countries. Notably, the mechanism has also been used in prevention of other diseases such as hearing impairment. This situation places the Aravind’s model in a strategic position to improve its services further in the near future.