Episode #6: Thulsi Ravilla, Aravind Eye Hospitals

Aravind Eye Hospitals have been saving people in India from unnecessary blindness since the 1970s. Thulsi Ravilla, director, joins BRI’s NexGenMed host John Flo to discuss how Aravind’s business model is spreading throughout India, making quality eye care affordable for even the most indigent of India’s population.

By copying the McDonald’s business model of training people—in this case technicians and physician—to perform repetitive procedures consistently, Aravind has been saving people all over India from unnecessary blindness, mostly due to cataracts. Healthcare prices don’t necessarily reflect true costs, but rather reflect healthcare practice inefficiencies. Streamlining efficiencies is just one way Aravind provides free or low-cost eye surgeries to millions of people.

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