Beyond Borders – Aravind in Africa

The Hilton Cataract Initiative is a unique collaboration among the Conrad Hilton Foundation, the Bloomberg School of Public Health and LAICO, Aravind’s healthcare consulting arm, to build capacity within five hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa. Each hospital receives training at Aravind, on-site mentoring from Aravind doctors and consulting, and funding for equipment.

Senior LAICO consultant Deepa Krishnan has been on-site at the Fitsum Eye Clinic in Ethopia for the past month, training Dr. Fitsum and his staff in the Aravind model. While you might expect to find many differences between India and Ethiopia, she has also found striking similarities to Aravind. “The diseases are different, but the circumstances are familiar,” she said. “Abject poverty, resource scarcity, dignity in the face of relentless disease, and complete trust in the care provider. The very birthplace of Aravind.

Click here to read more about Deepa’s work with the Fitsum Eye Clinic.