Eye-Care Provider SalaUno Aims to Eliminate Needless Blindness in Mexico Business Call To Action
go to original November 21, 2015

SalaUno Founder Javier Okhuysen Aims to Eliminate Blindness in Mexico (CCTV America)

A provider of low-cost, high-quality ophthalmic care to Mexico’s mid- and low-income populations, SalaUno, has joined the Business Call to Action with a plan to increase the number of patients it treats each year and expand its reach in Latin America by 2020. BCtA is a global initiative that encourages companies to fight poverty through inclusive business models. It is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other international organisations.

By leveraging the cost efficiencies of its “hub-and-spoke” model, salauno aims to become Mexico’s leading provider of eye care by 2020 – serving 500,000 low-income patients with a full range of ophthalmic services – and will perform 25,000 surgeries annually. This will require expanding the number of clinics and hospitals 10 times. The increase in patients and facilities will enable the company to continue providing high-quality eye care at rates that are 40% below market.

...Blindness is the second leading cause of disability in Mexico and isoften a result of cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. With 300,000 cases annually, cataracts account for 40% of all cases of blindness, but only 175,000 surgeries are performed each year. Diabetes affects 16% of Mexico’s adult population - one of the highest in the world - but only 50% of people are aware of their condition. As a result, approximately 30% of all cases of blindness in the country – approximately 9 million people – are due to diabetic retinopathy. Another 2 million are presumed to have cataracts but have not yet received treatment. These numbers are projected to increase along with the rising incidence of diabetes coupled with an ageing population.

Read the rest at The Guardian

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