1. Has AECS (Aravind Eye Care System) been successful? Why or Why not?

Yes, AECS has been successful in its vision. Below are some of the key factors which helped AECS to
be a success:

 The founder, Dr. V strived to address the high prevalence of preventable blindness in India through a
similar efficient system.

 Right from its inception, having only 11 beds hospital in 1976 he had the aim to treat millions of
blind people and ultimately eradicate blindness from the country.

 AECS has aggressively expanded to strive to meet the demand for cataract surgery and its innovative
and streamlined processes drove them to the top of the industry.

 Integration of the paying and free hospitals for economies of scale was one of the major X-factors for
AECS. They made sure that a standard treatment procedure is followed irrespective of the financial
status of a patient.

 Providing prestigious degree and job training all in one (In-House), the system of 4 hour concept
learning and 4 hour training for the 1st year and mostly training in the 2nd year was efficient to
make the trainees well versed of the functions.

 Producing their intraocular lenses (IOLs) made a huge impact on the costing resulting in low-cost
operations without jeopardizing the quality of the operation.

  Utilization of the Community through providing jobs to the people in surrounding areas which build
compassion and empathy among the community. 

 AECS not only focused on values but value which has to be coupled with high technology, with better
ambiance, with better infrastructure. 

2. Should AECS continue to focus on Cataract? Or should AECS invest in building capacities for dealing
with non-cataract patients also?

AECS should continue to work on Cataract but also focus on non-cataract patients. While cataract
was amenable to cure after a single sitting, other cases required continuous follow-up and there was
high demand was specialty such as diabetes and glaucoma i.e. 15% as compared to cataract i.e. 7%. 

3. Describe the existing core competencies of AECS. What are the organizational implications of
expanding the scope to deal with non-cataract patients?

Core Competencies

 200 million people in India need eye care; today only 10% of those people can receive the care they
need. Aravind is the leading provider of eye care services in India, a large section of Indian society
has benefited or known someone who has benefited from the services Aravind provides.
  To build the culture of the organization Dr. V created at AECS is not an easy task. To make each
member of organization believe in the vision of AECS with the sense of belongingness is what makes
AECS extraordinary.

 The highly efficient operations coupled with this pricing structure allow the hospitals to maintain a
50% profit margin. Profits are then reinvested into Aravind for growth and expansion of the
hospitals, as well as funding other ventures like the research foundation.

 Aravind’s model does not base quality of service on the income of the people it serves. In the
Aravind model, there is a standard quality of service for the surgeries, which equalizes the patients
and keeps clients coming for their services from both sides of the economic spectrum.

 While Aravind started as one small eye hospital, through its innovative delivery and business model
with Auro lab, AECS has become a self sufficient organization. 

 Aravind improves operational efficiency by allowing surgeons to work on two tables in alteration.
While one surgery is progressing, a team of nurses and paramedical staff prepare the next patient for
surgery. This process allows Aravind to perform cataract surgery in 10 minutes, about a third of the
industry standard.

To invest in building capacities for dealing with non-cataract patients AECS has look into various measures.
The organization plans to sustain its growth and double its service delivery capacity by 2022 by expanding to
new locations, expanding the telemedicine technology‐based primary eye care model for universal coverage,
and expanding follow up of patients with chronic eye diseases. The high turnout of patients to every eye
camp held by Aravind is a clear indicator of how favourable the local population thinks of Aravind. There is a
tremendous amount of promotion that occurs before an eye camp. AECS needs to leverage this to work on
non-cataract patients. Aravind is already positioned as the most recognizable and respected eye hospital in
all of India. The new eye care centres will utilize cutting edge technology to diagnose and treat a variety of
patients.