Let There Be Light: Indian Eye Care Chain Sets Up Presence In 15 African Countries

Headquartered in Bengaluru, Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital has over the past six years screened about 600,000 cases across 15 countries in Africa and conducted over 50,000 operations, its managing director, Sundaresan Rajagopalan, has said.

The cost of eye-care at the facility is just a fraction of the cost incurred by most Africans travelling abroad for such services.

Dr Agarwal’s first eye clinic in Africa was opened in Mauritius in 2010 and, since then, it has opened hospitals in East and Southern Africa, with Ghana being the first in the West African region.

Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, which has stepped in to provide a needed service which is lacking in these countries, is also training local doctors with the help of its highly-skilled specialists.

Mozambique, with a population of 15 million, has only eight doctors, while Ghana, with a population of 25 million, has only 80 eye specialists.

The hospital has also offered to operate 100 cataract cases in Ghana and a similar number in other select African countries as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility.

Chairman Amar Agarwal said advanced diagnostics and eye-care treatment with optical facility ensures comprehensive treatment and saves time, money and the stress of travelling to other countries for retinal treatment, hi-tech cataract surgeries, glaucoma management and paediatric eye care.