The document discusses barriers to eye care services faced by Aravind Eye Care and their efforts to overcome them. Cultural and perceptual barriers include stereotypes, lack of education, transportation issues, age, acceptance of services, and costs. Aravind addresses these barriers through community outreach like home visits, screening camps, vision centers, and partnerships. Their solutions propose a holistic approach including policy advocacy, community education starting in childhood, low-budget awareness campaigns, engaging leaders, and linking rural hospitals to larger sites.

1. ARAVIND EYE CARE
GROUP 5
ANIRUDDH (90) | APOORVA (95) | NIKHIL S (124) | PAARMI (127) | SAARINI (139) | SURABHI (152)

2. BARRIERS
Cultural and perceptual barriers
faced by Aravind Eye care in
spreading their Service
• Stereotypes
• Lack of Education
• Transportation
barrier/distance
• Old Age
• Acceptance of eye care
services
• Fear of new place
• Casual attitude/ignorance
•God’s will / Superstition
• Fear of surgery
• No one to accompany
• Family opposition and
responsibilities
• Monetary and Time cost
• Gender issues
• Lack of awareness

3. REMEDIAL EFFORTS
Efforts taken by the Aravind eye
care team to overcome the cultural
and perceptual barriers
•Innovative service and delivery operations
•House to house visits to motivate by successfully operated patients
and basic eye health worker
•Screening camps at central locations
•Vision centres to spread awareness and educate
•Distribution of flyers, pamphlets, handbills, posters etc.
•Promotional campaigns using loudspeakers, audio/video
•Referrals through community leaders (doctors, teachers,
panchayat, NGO’s etc)

4. REMEDIAL EFFORTS
Efforts taken by the Aravind eye
care team to overcome the cultural
and perceptual barriers
•Economic incentives
•Mobile units to solve distance barrier & save time
Community centre clinics
•Hiring young women paramedics [17 – 19 yr olds]
•Sponsors & Partners – Rotary, Lions Club, Religious Organisations,
etc.
•Outpatient Coordinator to help patients negotiate admission
procedure

5. SOLUTIONS
The solutions are based on the
A K L C P A C model where we have
created a holistic approach to tackle
the outreach problems faced by
Aravind Eye Care Chain of hospitals.
•Advocate policy change at the state and national level
•Change the focus from long eye term care and crisis care to “health
care” through government, physician, and health care worker buy-
in.
•Community radio programs to spread awareness
•Children as influencers: Sensitize children at a young age to
promote healthy eye care
•Low budget movies and street plays
•Engage elected municipal leaders to foster support for eye care

6. SOLUTIONS
The solutions are based on the
A K L C P A C model where we have
created a holistic approach to tackle
the outreach problems faced by
Aravind Eye Care Chain of hospitals.
•Educate individuals about their responsibility for their own health,
promoting changes in behaviour. Start with children.
•Develop a rural social marketing campaign
•Link rural hospitals and health care settings to larger sites. Make
them robust.
•Review past efforts – avoid pitfalls and build on best practices
learned from the past
•Developing ‘rural-specific’ training for health professionals
Utilize research findings to build support for rural health policy and
resource allocation
•Develop age-friendly rural and remote communities by addressing
the determinants of active age related eye disorders. From early life
to adult life to older age, policies have to start at birth
•Implement the Collaborative Care Model : Community support for
each other