Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospitals is on a growth path

Following a a strategy of 80: 20 ratios in terms of free healthcare service to the poor, Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospitals (AJEH) aims to become financially self-sustained and provide at least 50 per cent of its surgeries free-of-charge. In an one-on-one with Farhan Pettiwala, Executive Director & Head Development – India & South Asia, Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospitals – Mastichak-Patna-Siwan-Chappra-Ballia (UP)-Piro (Bhojpur), Raelene Kambli understands the company’s strategy towards its goal

Tell us about your company’s turnover, funding and its growth margins in the last three years.

The hospital’s budget’s have grown to Rs 21 crores from Rs 17 crores with a growth margin of about 8 per cent every year. The funding is primarily from donations / grants and revenue / patient receipts from the small paying section at the hospital; half of the total funding is self-generated from patient receipts.

You say that your model is based on 80: 20 ratio in terms of free healthcare service to the poor and the private service to the rest. Elaborate on the long-term strategy for sustainability?

Globally, one in every three blind people is an Indian that accounts to over 15 million blind people in India. 70 per cent of these blind people reside in low income states like Bihar and UP. In Bihar alone, about 4 million people are visually impaired.

Akhand Jyoti’s mission is to eradicate curable blindness from low income states of India with a specific focus on Bihar till 2022. However, given the extreme poverty and backwardness level of Bihar, Akhand Jyoti’s overriding aim till 2022 is to provide free of cost cataract surgeries for patients who cannot afford the cost.

Thus, Akhand Jyoti relies on its 80:20 free — a paid model to work towards blindness eradication. In its regard to the mission, Akhand Jyoti, therefore, needs to double up its surgical capacity from 65,000 annual surgeries to 130,000 surgeries annually, to make large scale and extraordinary impact in eradicating blindness in Bihar.

Hence, till 2022, Akhand Jyoti is primarily reliant on financial donations to fund both the increase in surgical capacity and to provide free surgeries. Over the three years following 2022, Akhand Jyoti intends to become financially self-sustainable, having helped give sight to the current pool of people in Bihar. However, approximately 100,000 people are expected to become newly blind each year in Bihar so the challenge of giving relief will continue. Therefore, while becoming financially self-sustained, AJEH will still look to give at least 50 per cent of its surgeries free-of-charge to those who cannot afford the cost.

You spoke on creating value for all through your social venture. Employment for girl children was one aspect, which are the other areas can your organisation create value for the society?

India shoulders the most substantial burden of blindness in the world with 15 million blind people, cataract being the primary cause. The most affected districts are the most deprived 200 districts in India and are concentrated in the states of Bihar and UP. WHO estimates that over a decade (2010-2020) the cumulative impact of blindness and visual impairment in India is $162 billion. People in the lowest strata of the society bear the brunt of blindness. Districts in India recording lower levels of social, economic education and health indicators have the highest incidence of blindness. People with low visual impairment find themselves at a significant disadvantage. They suffer from poverty, malnutrition, non-availability of education and economic and social isolation. These cascading effects especially in rural areas affect the blind and their families and ultimately the community at large.

Akhand Jyoti, thus, intends to make significant social impact with its blindness eradication programme in low income states of India helping to restore dignity, independence and economic liberation for the indigent people. Akhand Jyoti’s mission is to spearhead in Bihar the eradication of curable blindness by 2022, build up an internationally recognised Centre of Excellence in eye care – the world’s first in a rural area – which is accessible and affordable. Throughout, we will be relentless and empower women to achieve our objectives and to make a broader societal impact by training girls from rural areas.

Tell us about how your group will be partnering with the government to support the NHPS.

Akhand Jyoti has been at the forefront in implementing welfare schemes and this has been aptly demonstrated by it’s active participation in the Rashtriya Swasthya BimaYojana (RSBY) scheme.

The RSBY scheme was aimed at providing affordable healthcare to the population living below the poverty line. Amongst all service providers, Akhand Jyoti provided treatment to the highest number of beneficiaries in the state of Bihar.

We will therefore be actively participating in the NHPS as and when it is rolled out. With outreach being our key strength, we will be reaching the poorest of the poor and provide treatment. We expect to treat 25,000 people in the very first year of rollout.