Case Studies
“High volume, high quality, and affordable cost” is the tri-part mantra of the Aravind model. Provide good service to enough people, and keep prices low and still make a profit. But the real genius of the Aravind model lies in the mindset behind it, the well-crafted processes and all the build-in interdependencies. Where was it started? One of the images that impressed Dr. V. most on his visits to America was the Golden Arches of McDonald’s. But through his eyes those arches took on a transcendent meaning and bespoke a higher possibility. Why, Dr. V. wanted to know, couldn’t the assembly-line efficiency that made hamburgers available on the street corners of every town in America, at a price everyone could afford, be harnessed to the mission of fighting blindness? And now, Aravind Eye Hospital is arguably the most efficient eye-care institution in the world. It performs more eye surgery in a day than any other hospital anywhere, and every patient who pays for eye care subsidizes two who cannot. The quality of care ranks with the best; ophthalmology students from institutions like Harvard and Johns Hopkins regularly rotate through Aravind for training. Aravind is one of a dozen or so institutions designated as Centers of Excellence by the World Health Organization-a testament to Dr. V.’s singleness of purpose. Here is the list of case studies on Aravind model: