New Rural Eyecare Model

Product Description

In a Cree community in the Kenora District (ON), we are embarking on a journey to provide essential eye care services while fostering sustainability and local empowerment.

Our project, aligned with SDG 3, aims to establish a cataract and glaucoma clinic. What sets us apart is our unique plan for divested local ownership and operation.

Here’s how we plan to achieve this:

• Building and equipping a state-of-the-art eye clinic that serves the remote communities in the region
• Recruitment of a local lead opthamalogist & local professionals
• Training and employing local healthcare professionals for future employment
• Providing affordable and accessible eye care services to the community
• Partnering with non-private / non-profit organizations like the Rotary Club for initial support
• Using a revenue-recycling model to provide free lower-margin manual cataract surgeries

Our project began as a student-led initiative to test the concept, and now, with your support, we are ready to take it to the next level. The ultimate goal is to empower the community to take ownership of the clinic, ensuring long-term access to eye care services for those in need. The unique model of recycling revenues from machine-led cataract surgeries (approx. 8 minutes per surgery, with a 150% margin) to form an in-house initiative that provides free surgeries without the machines (approx. 15 minutes per surgery, break-even).

Join us in promoting good health and well-being, and in empowering local communities to manage their healthcare resources effectively. Together, we can make a lasting impact on eye health within the remote communities of Canada’s territories.