200 Vision Centers in Bihar via PPP

Patna, Jul 8 (PTI) ASG Eye Hospital on Tuesday said it has signed an MOU with the State Health Society, Bihar (SHSB) to set up 200 ‘vision centres' under the public-private-partnership model.

These centres will be integrated with the Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres, Sub-Divisional Hospitals, as well as Referral Hospitals (RHs) and serve as the community's first point of contact for eye health services, it said.

Each ‘vision centre' will be equipped with advanced diagnostic instruments to facilitate remote consultations with ASG's network of senior ophthalmologists, taking accessibility much farther than just physical centres, it said.

"The first 50 vision centres have already begun operations across Patna, Gaya, Hajipur, Katihar, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur and Nalanda. The rest will be operational over the next 45 days to reach the target of 200 by mid-August," ASG said in a release.

Dr Arun Singhvi, Managing Director and CEO, ASG Eye Hospital said, “Not only does this project enable us to reach the economically disadvantaged class in Bihar, but it also creates a path for a replicable public health model that allows us to address the critical, unmet need of timely diagnostic intervention for these beneficiaries.”

The ASG Eye Hospital chain boasts over 165 ophthalmological care centres across 83 cities.

“These timely check-ups for highly treatable cases of refractive errors, cataract, glaucoma can save sight and lives. All of this will reduce load on tertiary hospitals and will reduce treatment costs for patients... with over 40 lakh patients benefitting from this project in just the next 12 months, through subsidised surgeries, medicines, and prescription spectacles,” Singhvi said.

ASG Eye Hospital's collaboration with SHSB under a scalable PPP mode will enhance the role of the existing government facilities in providing eye care, while minimising capital expenditure and ensuring robust utilisation of existing infrastructure, it added.