iKure brings technology-enabled eye care services to rural Bengal with ‘Hub Clinic’

GoBarefoot: Few miles off the narrow trails that branch out from the Bombay-Kolkata National Highway, sneaking through villages, the road ends in an inspiring story that provides accessible and affordable health care enabled through technology in rural Bengal.

More than 133 million people are blind or vision-impaired due to the lack of eye care services in rural India.

Sixty five-year-old Rohina Bibi from Kashurhatti, Debra West Midnapore was suffering from cataract. About 100 km from Kolkata, she had limited access to quality medical services but with the help of Hub clinic, Bibi underwent an operation and can see clearly now.

Similarly, 56-year-old Montu Das from Garkilla, Maratala West Midnapore was suffering from short sightedness (Hypermetropia). With access to the Clinic, he wears spectacles now.  iKure Hub Clinic collaborated with Essilor toprovide eye care services to BPL patients, senior citizens, women, and children for Rs. 30.

iKure ventured into rural healthcare in 2010 and has grown to six states, catering to more than 2.5 million people. It offers holistic healthcare solutions that focus on transforming the ecosystem in India’s rural areas.

The Clinic has a mobile eye care van that is equipped with fitting instruments and patients are given low cost spectacles within minutes of screening.

For critical cases, iKure provides tertiary linkage services to urban hospitals for specialised eye care.

Community mobilisation and eye care camps are regularly conducted through a network of community health workers. They sensitise patients about critical eye care issues and counsel them to have regular eye check-ups. To make it easier for patients to access these services, iKure will soon deploy e-rickshaws to make commute easy and introduce telemedicine services for medical services in fields like cardiology, dermatology, and gynaecology.