LVPEI and Fernandez Foundation Host Eighth EHAC Meeting to Tackle India’s Healthcare Inequities

LV Prasad Eye Institute and Fernandez Foundation cohosted the eighth Equitable Healthcare Access Consortium (EHAC) Member’s meeting from 6 to 7 December at the LVPEI’s campus in the city.  The consortium’s agenda includes promoting discussion and action to deliver equitable healthcare by addressing challenges such as lack of access to healthcare, high-costs, and a general apathy among various stakeholders towards fixing these issues.

The meeting, which kick started on 6 December, witnessed a host of attendees from organisations such as LVPEI, Fernandez Foundation, Indian School of Business, Centre for Healthcare IIM Udaipur, St John’s Research Institute, and Aravind Eye Care System, among others.

The eighth meeting of the EHAC members deliberated and focused on promoting equitable healthcare through sessions on ethical practices, fellowships, collaborations, advocacy and innovations. The highlights included panel discussions on ethical practices, patient rights, and financing to build sustainable organizations to deliver equitable care. The panel pointed out the impact of growing commercialisation and consumerism in the society and its impact on service delivery, the need for medical professionals to get exposed to models of ethical service delivery, and the role of leaders in driving the change to equitable service delivery. 

Thematic areas touched upon were on promoting collaborations across like-minded healthcare organisations providing equitable care, coming up with a working definition of equitable healthcare delivery, offering fellowships to interested healthcare professionals, and advocacy to promote dialogue around equitable healthcare delivery and access.

Dr Prashant Garg, Executive Chair, L V Prasad Eye Institute, said, “At LVPEI, we envision a world where excellent and equitable eye care transcends social, geographical, and financial barriers and reaches all those in need. Over three decades, we have provided more than 38 million services, with 50% offered at no cost to patients. In our rural network more women (nearly 55% of all patient visits) sought eye care. Our Pyramidal Eye Care Delivery Model, supported by 308 centres across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha, serves diverse populations, including those in remote and tribal areas. Through the 'Equitable Healthcare Access Consortium,' we share our expertise with budding healthcare entrepreneurs, mentoring them to turn challenges into opportunities and advance equitable healthcare for all”

Dr Evita Fernandez, Chairperson and Managing Director, Fernandez Foundation, said, “At the heart of Fernandez’s philosophy lies a commitment to equitable healthcare for all mothers and babies. Embracing this vision, we advocate for a collaborative model of care that emphasises respectful maternity support, paired with the expertise of obstetricians. By prioritizing the needs and preferences of each mother, we empower her to make informed choices about her care. Our dedication to providing subsidised services for those in need is reflected in our initiatives, which have opened doors for families to access the quality care they truly deserve.”

Prof DVR Seshadri, Chairperson, EHAC, said, “EHAC is a consortium of socially sensitive healthcare providers and other organisations involved in developing, studying and evangelizing new and improved models for providing equitable access to healthcare. The basic premise of EHAC, is that for a stable society, every member must have equitable access to livelihood, education and healthcare. EHAC has been working for the last six years to help make progress on these key dimensions. EHAC is uniquely poised to provide thought-leadership to help address these unfelt and unacknowledged needs of our society.”

About LVPEI

Established in 1987, L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for the Prevention of Blindness and a comprehensive eye health facility. The institute operates in ten functional areas: Clinical Services, Education, Research, Vision Rehabilitation, Rural and Community Eye Health, Eye Banking, Advocacy and Policy Planning, Capacity Building, Innovation, and Product Development. The LVPEI Eye Care Network has 290 centres across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Karnataka in India. The institute’s mission is to provide equitable and quality eye care to all sections of society.

About Fernandez Foundation

Established in 1948 by Dr Leslie and Lourdes Fernandez, the Fernandez Hospital began as a two-bed maternity clinic and later grew into three maternity hospitals and three outpatient clinics spread across the Twin Cities. It became a not-for-profit Fernandez Foundation in 2018. Underscoring their commitment to women’s empowerment, the hospital ensures that 80% of their staff is female and every woman gets equitable and respectful care. The onus is on transparency and providing women with the right information to make informed choices regarding their bodies and childbirth. For more information about Fernandez Foundation, visit https://fernandez.foundation/

About EHAC

Equitable Healthcare Access Consortium is a group of socially sensitive healthcare providers and organisations. Its objective is to enhance equity in healthcare access through networking and resource-sharing initiatives. By bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives, EHAC aims to drive positive change and contribute to the advancement of equitable healthcare access across India.