Publications
Publications
- March 1997 (Revised March 1998)
- HBS Case Collection
Help the World See: Self-Sustaining Eye Care in Belize
Abstract
In 1992, Help the World See (HTWS), a U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to improving eye care in developing countries, established permanent, self-sustaining eye care clinics in Belize in conjunction with the Belize Council for the Visually Impaired (BCVI). The HTWS/BCVI program trained and outfitted five Regional Field Officers (RFO) to identify basic eye diseases, provide education, and sell low-cost eyeglasses. By 1996, the program had become a significant part of Belize's eye care system and was approaching the break-even point. However, the program's success had placed it in jeopardy. Belize's ophthalmologists, who had assented to the program in 1992, were concerned about the low-fee competition. They had prevailed on the Medical Council, the body charged with overseeing medical practices within the country, to send two letters to the BCVI, pointing out that only licensed optometrists and ophthalmologists could prescribe eyeglasses and perform eye exams. If enforced against the HTWS/BCVI RFOs, the rule would cripple the program. The case opens with HTWS's president Jeff Orenstein and founder Dr. Wayne Cannon preparing for a meeting with the Belizean Ministry of Health.
Keywords
Citation
Dees, J. Gregory, Jaan Elias, and Jeffrey Orenstein. "Help the World See: Self-Sustaining Eye Care in Belize." Harvard Business School Case 897-142, March 1997. (Revised March 1998.)