The Hospital:
Sri Sai Lions Netralaya(SSLN) based in Patna, Bihar has grown from its humble beginning as a 10-bed facility to its current size of 150 beds.
In the near term, SSLN has its sights set on increasing its paid surgery services by plans for adding an additional 30 beds towards this purpose, along with a better segregation between the free and paid sections of its hospital and a proactive sales and marketing team to attract paying patients. Once operational, SSLN will have the annual capacity for 30,000 free and 10,000 paid surgeries, which should lead to a financially self-sustaining operating model without a need for external infusion of funds.
In the mid/long term, SSLN has an ambitious target of providing 50,000 free surgeries annually by consolidating its operations into larger and more modern premises and doing so with a proportionate growth in its paid services practice, thereby setting it on a path of continued operational self-sustenance.
Key Facts:
| Hospital Location | Beds (Free) | Surgeries (Free) 2019-20 | Beds (Paid) | Surgeries (Paid) 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patna | 120 | 18,630 | 3 0 | 3,008 |
Number of Outreach Camps (2019-20): 278 (Main Camps)
Leadership:
Mr. Ashok Kumar
Founder and Managing Trustee
Mr. Ashok Kumar is the founder and managing trustee of SSLN, having started the hospital in December, 2004. He is an engineer by profession and is employed by the Public Works Department in Patna. Having been elected as District Governor of the Lions Clubs International, in the year 2001, he realized that Bihar was lacking in charitable institutions providing cataract surgeries and eye care to the poverty-stricken population in the Patna area. This prompted him to start a 10-bed hospital which has grown to its present size, with an appetite for even more growth.
Association with SEF, USA:
SEF, USA has been steadily increasing its association with SSLN since 2017, having funded 5,000 surgeries in 2017, 11,000 surgeries in 2018 and 15,000 surgeries in 2019 for a cumulative total of 31,000 free cataract surgeries over 3 years through March 2020. Many of our board members have visited their facilities in Patna and met SSLN’s leadership team as well as their board members.
With sustained support from the SEF, USA over the last 3 years, they are on the path of overcoming some of their past challenges, and have improved the depth of their leadership team in key functional areas such as operations, finance, HR and marketing. We are optimistic that SSLN will live up to its full potential for free eye surgeries based on the current trends and a more energized leadership team.
Contact Information
Sri Sai Lions Netralaya(SSLN)B-144, P. C. Colony,
Kankarbagh,
Patna - 800020, Bihar
Website: www.srisailionsnetralaya.org
