Section 37
How Aravind made free eye surgery pay for itself
How can a hospital treat the poor for free and still stay financially healthy?
- case
- Success
- years
- 1976-2019
- 502,536
- Surgeries and laser procedures · 2018-19
- 267,453
- Paying-section surgeries · 2018-19
- 92,510
- Free surgeries via screening camps · 2018-19
- 4,408,980
- Outpatient visits · 2018-19
- 01
The situation
Aravind began in Madurai in 1976. Cataract blindness was common among poor patients who could not pay for surgery.
- 02
The decision
Aravind runs paying and free sections side by side with the same doctors and standards, and uses very high volume and standardised processes to keep cost per surgery low. Fees from paying patients fund free or steeply subsidised care for those who cannot pay. Free patients are found through screening camps in villages.
- 03
The outcome
In 2018-19 Aravind handled 4,408,980 outpatient visits and performed 502,536 surgeries and laser procedures. Of these, 267,453 were in paying sections, 142,573 were subsidised walk-ins at the free hospital, and 92,510 were free through screening camps.