Eye operations in India - 20th October 2021

Doctors in India are doing lots of eye operations. Aravind Eye Hospitals now do 500,000 operations a year. The hospitals work like McDonald's.

Govindappa Venkataswamy is an eye doctor. He learned about the McDonald's system. McDonald's makes burgers very fast. Doctor Venkataswamy wanted to copy McDonald's. He started Aravind Eye hospital in 1976 with 11 beds. Now, India has lots of Aravind Eye Hospitals. Millions of people in India need eye operations.

Thulasiraj Ravilla is Aravind Eye Hospital's director.

Thulasiraj Ravilla: "And the bulk of this blindness is not necessary because lots of it is due to cataract, which can be easily set right through a simple surgery."

Covid was a problem for the hospital. Now, it has to do more operations every day. Ravilla explains the hospital's timetable.

Thulasiraj Ravilla: "So, typically we start, the theatre starts at 7am. Maybe the first case may come out at 7.15 or 7.30. So that continues, that has not changed. But then in the past, we would be done by lunchtime. You know, and after that they, they would prep the theatre for the next day. But now it's not uncommon for the surgery to go on till four o'clock, or three o'clock, four o'clock, like that."

Now, there are operations all day. The operations are very fast but they are very safe. People don't have any problems after the operation.

The patients are happy. They like the fast operations. The McDonald's system is popular.

Venkatachalam Rajangam: "I thought the operation would be for an hour but within 15 minutes everything was over. But it didn't feel rushed. The procedure was done properly."