Health

Social Entrepreneur: Govindappa Venkataswamy

Govindappa Venkataswamy’sBackground

• Born in 1918

● Lived in a small village in South India

● Parents were farmers

● Founded Aravind Hospital in 1977

● Diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis which crippled his hands

● Became an ophthalmologist against all odds

Govindappa Venkataswamy’s Achievements

Degrees Awards

● Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from American College in Madurai in 1938

● Doctor of Medicine from Stanley Medical College in Madras in 1944

● Doctor of ophthalmology at the Government Ophthalmic Hospital in Madras in 1951

● Honorary Doctorate from University of Illinois, 1985

● International Social Entrepreneurship Award

● Academy International Blindness Prevention Award

● Susruta Award, Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology

● WHO Award for Health for All● International Blindness Prevention

Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology

● And many others...

History of Venture

• He used special instruments to perform as many as 100 surgeries a day.

• "If McDonald's can sell billions of burgers and Coca-Cola can sell billions of sodas, why can't I sell millions of sight-restoring operations?" (Inspiration)

• He opened the Aravind Eye Hospital: 11 beds in a rented house in Madurai, India.

• And also lowered the cost of cataract operations to as low as $10 per surgery

or even free for the poor.

Impact of Venture

• The less fortunate could afford treatment

• “I will never turn down any patient just because they don’t have money”

• Treated almost 2.4 million patients

• Today, there are 3600 beds in 5 Aravind Eye Hospitals that perform more than 200,000 operations each year.

• David Kemker, a celebrity, once said, “ Dr.Govindappa Venkataswamy is my community hero. I look up to him.”

Credits

By: LCP Francis Xavier, LCP Dillon Ng, LCP Darren Toh

• Google

• Wikipedia

• YouTube