Shining a Light on What Works: Aravind Eye Care System Wins Gates Award

Congratulations to the Aravind Eye Care System for winning the Gates 2008 Global Health Award, a $1 million prize that is the largest of its kind given for international health. Presented at the Global Health Council's 35th Annual International Conference last night, the award honors exceptional efforts to improve health in developing countries.Established in 1976, Aravind is a global health example of 'what works' - one of the biggest eye care clinics in the world, they aim to prevent unnecessary blindness in rural India. Between April 2006 and March 2007, over 2.3 million outpatients were treated and over 270,444 surgeries were preformed through Aravind and Managed Eye Hospitals. See the CGD publication Case Studies in Global Health: Millions Saved which highlights their work in treating cataracts.